The Alolan Champion
by Mach Tails
Summary: After losing the Kalos League, Ash comes home to a terrible surprise, and most of his friends and family betray him, making him a criminal to all regions. Seeking to start anew, he went to Alola and became the Champion of that region. With the friends he has left, will he be able to give his betrayers what's coming to them?
1. Chapter 1: That Day

A beautiful sunset had decided to show itself to the city, although it was late November, shimmering brilliantly through the sky, as a raven haired trainer stood on the balcony of the place he now called his home, a rather large mansion, looking out at the shining city of Malie below him. The sky had allowed a vibrant sunset to shine through the thick clouds from earlier that day, allowing its colors to seep onto the city below, infecting the buildings and open spaces with its colors. It was beautiful, more beautiful than most of the sunsets Ash had witnessed during his time in Alola, a brilliant hue of deep purples, bright pinks and oranges, shades that would even make Ho-oh a tad jealous. It fit perfectly for the tropical region, however, and Ash wouldn't have it any other way.

The people in the streets of the city were going about their own business, along with their Pokémon, most without a care in the world. Natives and tourists mingling together, and coexisting along with their Pokémon. It made Ash smile, remining him of his adventures throughout this region, meeting the trail captains, forming the Alolan Pokémon League with Kukui, his rivalry with Gladion and Hau, and helping out Lillie and Gladion out with the Aether Foundation. This region had brought back so many memories, although the latest thing Ash had his eyes on was about to bring up some more.

In the middle of the streets, right by the Pokémon Center, there were a group of friends in the streets, they couldn't have been older than 15, cheerful and merry, organizing a Secret Santa for the upcoming holiday season, only with Pokémon. They were cheerfully encouraging people to catch or donate Pokémon for those who didn't have, assisted by the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys of the city. Ash couldn't help but smile wistfully as he watched the young friends interact with each other, carefree and happy. It almost reminded him of-

 _No_. It had been 5 years since he had been betrayed by his _friends_. His hands gripped the cold hard marble of the balcony rail, the muscles in his hands strained, as he gripped the marble as if his life depended on it. He winced as his head started to throb, a headache starting to occur. His head was bombarded with memories that he didn't want to ever remember. Not now, at least...

* * *

 _(5 years ago, in the region of Kanto)_

 _Ash Ketchum had just gotten off his plane flight from Kalos to Kanto, having left his new friends Bonnie and Clemont Volt, as well as Serena Yvonne, behind. He had enjoyed his adventure in Kalos, he had made all kinds of new friends and forged new bonds, but it was finally time to head back home. With a slightly air sick Pikachu groaning and moaning on his shoulder, he grinned, feeling the warm Kanto sun on his face as he went home from the airport, eager to see his mom and Pokémon again._

 _Sure he hadn't won the Kalos League, but deep down Ash knew that didn't matter. Not mpuch as it would to others, perhaps. Ash had tried his hardest, as did his Pokémon, and he knew that. Using this loss, he was sure he'd learn from it and bounce back better than ever. Besides, he had gotten further than ever before, right? That battle was one of the finer points in his battling career, honestly, and he was proud of the power he and Greninja showed to the world._

 _That wasn't to say that Alain didn't give his all either. No, even though Alain helped out Team Flare, he made up for it, along with his Charizard. And Ash could firmly say that Alain was just as sorry for his actions as he was a good guy, even if he didn't show it most of the time. And besides, Alain was a really skilled trainer, and his bond with his Charizard was crazy strong. And honestly, at the end, the battle could've gone either way, couldn't it?_

 _Reflective thoughts such as these floated through Ash's head, as he wondered where he'd go from here, his Pikachu whining from airsickness and all the swaying. Oblivious as ever, Ash continued on the way to his house, stopped by a familiar voice._

 _"Hey Ash!" The raven haired trainer turned around to see his old friend, Dawn, running up to him. The blue haired coordinator stopped just in front of him, smiling as she gave him a huge hug. Ash was thrown off, momentarily, but he returned the hug, pleased to see his Sinnoh companion._

 _"Dawn!" He said, returning her smile. "It's been a while since I've seen you! What brings you to Kanto?"_

 _"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise but..." Dawn trailed off, teasingly letting her finger trace down her chin, then smiled, her hair bouncing a bit as she did so. "I just don't know if I should tell you!"_

 _Ash groaned, backing out of their hug, though he was still smiling. He shook Pikachu slightly, the yellow mouse quitting his complaining when he saw Dawn, jumping to hug her. "Come on Dawn, you can tell me, can't you?"_

 _Dawn giggled, embracing the yellow mouse as he jumped. "Fine, but only cause you're my best friend, got it?" She said, smiling all the while._

 _Ash nodded fervently, sweatdropped after seeing Pikachu's reaction to Dawn. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, now tell me already!"_

 _"Well..." Dawn began, setting Pikachu down onto the floor. "Let's just say it won't be just me you'll be seeing when you get home!" She grinned, breaking into a run, heading for Ash's home. "Come on, follow me and see!"_

 _Ash groaned out loud, although he was more annoyed than upset, beginning to chase after her. "Come on, Dawn! Get back here!" He cried out, picking up his pace while running after the blue haired girl, Pikachu running with him._

 _Running together, the three of them made it into Pallet Town, Ash being wistfully reminded of the times he spent with Dawn in Sinnoh, along with Brock. He smiled to himself as Dawn picked up her pace, getting further ahead of him. Those times had arguably been the most favorite parts of his journey as a whole, and there were times when he honestly wished he could go back to them. Things hadn't been the same without his old friend, Brock, and he had grown really close to Dawn, closer than he had with May, Iris, or Misty._

 _He looked back at Pikachu, his feet still running, seeing the yellow mouse enjoying himself as well. His house was beginning to come into view, Dawn already hopelessly ahead of him, still laughing as she stayed ahead of him_

 _How did she get so fast? Ash absently thought, before brushing the thought aside. Maybe... maybe after this he and Dawn could set out on a journey again, together, along with Brock, finding a brand new region with new Pokémon, and new gym leaders! He'd challenge the league again, catch new Pokémon, and maybe make new friends as well!_

 _"Yeah..." He said to himself, as Dawn had already gone inside his house, he and Pikachu going up to the open doorway, his sneakers creaking on the wooden porch. Grabbing Pikachu in his arms, Ash walked through the door, playfully whining, although he was eager to see what Dawn had wanted to show him. "Dawn! How could you just leave me behind like that?"_

 _He was expecting to probably see his mom and Dawn, and possibly Professor Oak when he walked through the door, but he was in for a much more pleasant surprise. All of his friends he had met through his journey, his travelling companions, and even his rivals were there._ _Brock, Misty, Gary, Tracey, May, Max, Drew, Barry, Paul, Iris, Cilan, Trip, Sawyer, and even Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie! Along with his mom, Dawn, and Professor Oak, they were all there, smiing and greeting him with a large "WELCOME HOME, ASH!"_

 _Well, the ones that were capable of smiling, at any rate, Paul simply waved at Ash, but the gesture meant a lot to Ash all the same._

 _"Wow!" He let out, laughing as he did so, taking his cap off of his head, picking up Pikachu and holding him in his arms as he did so. "You guys are all here?! I can't believe it!"_

 _His mom came up to him, hugging him as she did so, ruffling his raven black hair, giving him a quick kiss to the head, much to Ash's embarrassment. "Aw, sweetie, I invited them over to celebrate how well you did in the Kalos League! I'm so proud of you, you made it all the way to the finals, and what a battle you had!"_

 _Professor Oak came beside Ash as well, shaking Ash's hand as he came out of his mother's hug, his handshake surprisingly strong for a man of his age. "I'd like to commend you as well, my boy. You showed that you and Pokémon could accomplish anything, especially you and that Greninja of yours."_

 _"Well, it wasn't just me and Greninja..." Ash said, glancing at Pikachu, who grinned at him appreciatively, and then gesturing to the Pokéballs around his waist, acknowledging his Kalos Pokémon, made up of_ _Talonflame, Hawlucha, and Noivern. "I had Pikachu and the others to help me out as well!"_

 _"Yes, quite. At any rate," Professor Oak said, gesturing to the back door. "Let's move this party elsewhere, outside will be a better location, don't you think?"_

 _"Outside?" Ash asked aloud, asked his friends emptied into the backyard, as he followed close behind. As he got outside, he grinned in delight, seeing the backyard completely decorated with balloons and streamers, taking on a blue, red, and yellow color scheme, reminding him of Greninja and Pikachu, not to mention himself._

 _"So, Ash," Serena said with a big grin on her face, the honey blonde performer coming up beside him. "Are you ready to party with the rest of us?"_

 _"You bet!" Ash said, giving her his biggest grin as he stepped out onto the backyard. "Time to cut loose!"_

 _And for the next few hours, it was an enjoyable party. Professor Oak had even gotten all of Ash's old Pokémon to arrive at the party, much to both his and their delight. Ash couldn't help but play around with them, leading to most of his friends commenting about how immature he was, specifically Misty, Iris, Gary, May, and Tracy._ _Ash took it all in stride, of course, shrugging it off with a grin. It wasn't any different from when they all traveled together, but their tone felt a little off to him... Nevertheless, he brushed those thoughts aside, enjoying the party his friends and family had so generously prepared for him._

 _Seeing his old Pokémon was a treat for Ash, he had really missed them over the duration of his Kalos journey. He let out his Kalos Pokémon as well, letting them meet his old Pokémon for once. Talonflame found his place along Ash's other Flying types, engaging in competitive races with Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor, and Unfezant. Noivern found himself in a sort of big brother like bond with Ash's Gible, which reminded him of the similar bond he had shared with Hawlucha. As for Hawlucha, himself, he fit right in with Ash's strongest, testing out his skills against the likes of Charizard, Sceptile, and Infernape._

 _At the peak of the party, however, was when things started to go wrong. Professor Oak had sent Ash's Pokémon back to his ranch, along with Ash's Kalos Pokémon, assuring him that they would be fine. Pikachu stayed, however, as was expected of Ash's partner. Delia had gone inside to get started on Ash's new clothes, assuring him that he'd love it. Ash, being the person that he was, already had his mind set on the next region he wanted to visit, and was talking loudly about it with Dawn under a tree, his eyes lit with excitement as Dawn listened curiously. Many of his friends and rivals, however, had sour or disgusted looks on their faces, tensions rising up amongst them._

 _"Come on, Ash, stop talking shit already!" A fed up Misty finally said, getting up from where she was sitting, her voice ringing out harshly, startling Ash from his conversation._

 _"W-Wait, what did you say?" Ash said, getting up as well, hardly believing what Misty had just said. Pikachu gave his best friend a concerned look from the ground, getting a bad feeling. "What are you talking about?"_

 _"Yeah, what do you mean, Misty?" Dawn said, standing next to Ash, Pikachu leaping onto Ash's shoulder. "What did Ash do wrong?"_

 _"What hasn't he done wrong? Come on, Dawn, it's not like Ash'll win a Pokémon league anyway." May said, in an offhanded tone. "What's the point of talking about going to a brand new region when he'll just lose again?"_

 _"Wait, is that what this is about?" Ash said, giving a nervous chuckle as he looked at the faces of his friends. Gary, Misty, Tracey, May, Max, Drew, Trip, Iris, Cilan, Clemont, and even Professor Oak seemed to be looking at him in the same way, fed up and digusted, while Dawn, Serena, Brock, Barry, Sawyer, Paul, and Bonnie gave him worried and concerned looks, leading him to go on._

 _"I mean, I've come close to winning some times, remember? There was the Sinnoh league, although that Tobias guy had to have been a phony SOMEHOW, and then I actually got to the finals of the Kalos league, and had a really great battle! If I just keep at it, maybe train some of my old Pokémon, I could definitely win at a league one-" Ash was cut off suddenly, to his dismay._

 _"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Max said, a smug smile on his face as he twirled a Pokéball in his hands, glaring at Ash. "You say that, but you'll just lose all over again, won't you?"_

 _"I wholeheartedly agree." Cilan said, an obnoxious smile on his face as he began to ramble about his connoisseur nonsense. "Your constant loss, as well as your needless optimism truly makes for a souring recipe that wouldn't be serv-"_

 _"Yeah, yeah, that's enough, Cilan!" Iris said, much to the connoisseur's dismay, sending her own sneer at Ash. "The point is, Ash, is that you're weak! Just like a little kid!"_

 _Ash could've sworn he felt something break inside him as he looked around at his 'friends', who certainly didn't look like his friends as of now. Trembling, he tried for another smile, looking around at those who were obviously against him, trying one last time._

 _"Come on, guys, you don't mean it, do you?" Ash said nervously, stumbling back a bit. "We've had so much fun on those journeys, haven't we?"_

 _"Wake up, Ashy boy," Gary said, emphasizing the nickname for his childhood rival, giving him a smirk. "You've been pursuing this childish dream for quite some time, don't you think? Grow up and find a real career, like I did! A Pokémon Researcher is much more sensible than a silly Pokémon Master."_

 _"What I believe your friends are trying to tell you is that you shouldn't pursue your dream of becoming a Pokémon Master any longer. Your Pokémon all agree with us as well, they'll most likely desert you." Professor Oak said, stepping forward. "You should consider pursuing another career, like Gary, maybe a researc-"_

 _"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Ash said, holding his head in dismay, Dawn and Serena rushing to his side as tears began to flow down his cheeks, Pikachu and the rest of Ash's Kalos_ _Pokémon_ _standing in protection of his trainer, glaring furiously at the traitors. Not only his friends, but his Pokémon had betrayed him as well?! "Y-You all were supposed to be my friends! W-What happened to the time we shared together, all the adventures we spent together?! Did that mean nothing?!"_

 _Ash looked at the people who had just betrayed him for an answer, sending them a desperate, but furious glare, but got nothing but sour and disgusted looks in return from them, Professor Oak looking at Ash distastefully as the others drew their Pokéballs._

 _"Now, now, Ash." Professor Oak said, as he drew a Pokéball of his own. "If you don't comply with what we're asking of you, we'll have to use force to make you. Your Pokémon aren't going to save you, and most of your friends are with us. In addition, I'll alert all the regional professors and champions that you abuse your Pokémon."_

 _"You can't do that!" Serena said, still by Ash's side alongside Dawn, glaring at the Kanto professor. "Ash would never do something like that, he loves his Pokémon with all his heart!"_

 _"Oh, I won't have to do that..." Professor Oak said as he let out a Pidgeot, the rest of the traitors letting out Blastoise, Gyrados, Scizor, Blaziken, Gallade, Roserade, Serperior, Dragonite, Simisage, and Luxray respectively. "As long as Ash does what we say, there's no reason for me to lie."_

 _Ash could only helplessly look on as Pikachu, who was possibly his only friend in the world, stood off against their Pokémon, attempting to hold back tears. To his joy, however, Dawn and Serena sent out Togekiss and Braixen in order to help out Pikachu, the two girls putting themselves between Ash and the traitors._

 _"We won't let you hurt Ash!" Dawn said defiantly, Piplup repeating what she said from the safety of her hat. "If you wanna try, you're gonna have to get through me!"_

 _"We're on your side, Ash!" Serena said, glancing back at Ash before glaring at the traitors, Braixen letting out a small ember as she twirled her stick. "Braixen, let's give it all we've got!"_

 _"Don't forget about us as well!" Brock's voice rang out as he ran up to Ash, along with Paul, Barry, and Sawyer, getting in front of him as the four guys stood off against the traitors as well, sending out Steelix, Electivire, Empoleon, and Sceptile, respectively. Bonnie came running as well, to Clemont's dismay, helping Ash up to his feet._

 _"I've been with Ash from the very beginning, how could I just abandon him now?" Brock said, sending an especially hateful glare to Misty. "Don't worry Ash, these guys are nothing!"_

 _"Ash..." Paul trailed off, not making eye contact, instead choosing to focus on the traitors. "You taught me how to get stronger in a way that doesn't hurt my Pokémon, and for that, I thank you."_

 _"I don't know Ash as well as some of you, but that's okay!" Barry said, waving his hand impatiently. "If I'm standing by Ash and you guys aren't, what does that say about you?"_

 _"Agreed!" Sawyer said, readying his Key Stone in case he had to Mega Evolve. "Ash is such a good friend, and I'm lucky to have met him! He's taught me so much, time to put it to use!_

 _"Don't worry, Ash!" Bonnie said, putting a smile on her face as she helped him up. "Your real friends are standing right here, by your side!"_

 _"Thanks, guys..." Ash said, allowing Bonnie to help him up, a defeated look on his face as he gave his true friends a weak smile, before gazing at the traitors. "But they still outnumber us, there's no point in doing this anymore..."_

 _Nevertheless, Brock, Dawn, Serena, Paul, Barry, and Sawyer continued to stay in place, gritting their teeth as they prepared for battle. The traitors simply grinned as their Pokémon advanced, getting ready to launch their attacks. However, just as they were about to attack, a draconic roar sounded from the sky, as a large jet of fire hit the space between the two groups. Without any chance for speculation, Charizard landed from above in front of the traitors, a furious look in his eyes._

 _One by one, more of Ash's Pokémon came to stand by Charizard. Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Quilava, Totodile, Bayleef, Noctowl, Heracross, Donphan, Sceptile, Swellow, Torkoal, Corphish, Glailie, Infernape, Staraptor, Gliscor, Gible, Torterra, Buizel, Oshawott, Snivy, Pignite, Unfezant, Palpitoad, Boldore, Leavanny, Scraggy, and Krookodile all stood against the traitors, determined to protect their trainer._

 _"Charizard!" Ash said, light returning his eyes, as he let out a joyous laugh, overjoyed to see that his Pokémon hadn't abandoned him after all. "You're here! And the others too! You came for me!"_

 _Professor Oak grimaced as Ash and his friends grew more determined, ready for the battle. "Don't be so hasty, Ash! Those Pokémon are weak, I'm certain you know that! If you intend to battle with them, you'll surely lose!"_

 _"Yeah!" Misty said, standing behind her Gyrados, a nasty smirk on her face. "Those Pokémon can't compare to ours! Honestly, it's no wonder that you haven't-"_

 _"Wanna bet on it?" Ash asked, strangely calm, a simmering rage hidden in his voice as he stood with his friends and Pokémon, sending Misty a cold glare, taking a step forward towards the trainers._

 _"Uh, what?" Misty said, her face confused, not used to seeing Ash with such an expression on his face. "Bet on what, you loser?"_

 _"You all obviously think that I'm weak." Ash said, staring right at the orange haired trainer. "You said that my Pokémon are as well, that they can't compare to yours. So I asked if you want to bet on it. Cause I'm willing to bet that me and my real friends can take you guys down right here."_

 _"B-Bring it on!" Misty shouted, losing her cool under Ash's stare, causing her to stumble back a bit. "Gyrados, use Hyper Beam!"_

 _"Scizor, Hyper Beam!" Tracy called._

 _"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!" Gary shouted._

 _"Pidgeot, Hurricane!" Oak said, determined to keep Ash from leaving._

 _"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!" May said, with a wave of her hand._

 _"Gallade, Psychic!" Max called, still smirking._

 _"Roserade, Solar Beam!" Drew said, disinterested in it all._

 _"Seperior, use Frenzy Plant!" Trip shouted._

 _"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!" Iris wailed._

 _"Simisage, show them your Seed Bomb!" Cilan said, resisting the urge to go on about connoisseur stuff again._

 _"Luxray, Charge Beam!" Clemont called out._

 _Ash's friends stayed right where they were, however, as Ash stood right beside them. They returned attacks, their Pokémon pouring all they had into it._

 _"Steelix, pour all you've got, Flash Cannon!" Brock called._

 _"Togekiss, let them have it with Moonblast! And Piplup, assist with Bubble Beam!" Dawn cried._

 _"Empoleon, let's show them our Hydro Cannon!" Barry shouted._

 _"Braixen, use your Flamethrower!" Serena called._

 _"Sceptile, let loose with Leaf Storm!" Sawyer yelled._

 _"Pikachu, finish them with Thunderbolt!" Ash cried, as his partner fired his attack. "Everyone else, let loose!"_

 _Ash's other Pokémon followed his command, firing off their strongest attack at the traitors, giving it all they had. Each side didn't let up, continuously sending attacks at each other, all kinds of attacks flying across the backyard. With so many attacks flying, eventually they all collided, causing a massive explosion, which blinded all in the proximity of it, traitors and friends alike._

* * *

"Ash? Ash, are you there?" Ash found himself back on his balcony, taking a deep breath, Dawn standing over him as she looked him over, an intensely worried look on her face. She was crouched down in order to make eye contact with him, somehow he had gotten on the floor while he was relieving those... _memories._

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, thanks Dawn." Ash said, gathering himself together as he stood up. He glanced the balcony once more, at the group of friends holding the Secret Santa project, letting a bittersweet smile cover his face. "Just thinking about the past."

"If you're sure..." Dawn said, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes as she touched Ash's shoulder, looking out over the balcony as well, the brilliant colors of the sunset showing on her face. "Are you ready for the tournament? This'll be your big chance for revenge, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Ash said, chuckling to himself as Pikachu came out of the house, leaping up onto his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with Ash's. "It'll be more than revenge... they'll get what's been coming to them in every way."


	2. Chapter 2: 5 Years Later

**Hey, guys, so I guess I'm continuing this story, huh, suprisingly. Well then, let's get started! I noticed a few of you were talking about pairings in the last chapter, and I've got a few ideas in mind. I'm thinking of pairing him with either Dawn, Serena, or Lillie, and I'm not really sold on a harem.**

 **Let me know who you want Ash to be together with in the reviews below, and please enjoy the chapter! More reviews= faster upload time!**

* * *

Ash walked back inside with Dawn and Pikachu, his mind on the tournament that he had decided to hold in this very city, as Dawn handed him his old trainers cap from his desk stand.

Quite a lot had happened after he was betrayed by his so-called friends, it had been almost 5 years and Ash had only gotten that much stronger as a result. Dawn, Brock, Serena, and Ash had gone on a journey in the Alola region, it being one of the only regions that didn't believe nor need Professor Oak's lies. Before that, however, Ash recovered the Pokémon he had let go which included his Pidgeot, Lapras, Goodra, and Greninja. Butterfree would've loved to come along, but he now had a family (one with roughly 18 children) and promised to visit occasionally. Ash did make a point to visit Primeape quickly, but the Fighting-type was content with the trainer he had, and honestly, Ash was okay with that. He had also trained his aura somewhat, and while it wasn't to the point where he could use it offensively, like shooting an aura sphere, he could at least understand his Pokémon.

On his journey, Ash made it a point to train with his old and new Pokémon, evolving most of his Pokémon to their final evolutions. With the exception of Pikachu, nearly every one of his Pokémon evolved to their max. Of course, there were some that didn't want to evolve, or some that wanted to stay in their secondary evolution forms. In their cases, Ash helped them train to their strengths, and make them strong in their own rights.

Additionally, with the help of his friends, Ash had also gathered quite the number of Mega Stones, giving them to the Pokémon that could Mega Evolve as a symbol of the bonds that they shared. Along with all this, Ash also caught some new Pokémon as well. There was Espeon and Umbreon(who were twins from birth, Dawn had been given Espeon as a gift while Ash had kept the Eevee that would soon become Umbreon), Incineroar, Decidueye, a Dusk Lycanroc, Gardevior, Ampharos, Lucario, and Mudsdale.

Along with Espeon, Dawn had obtained some new Pokémon throughout her journey as well, opting not to fully evolve her Pokémon. Well, she had with some, but she didn't have the same talent for battling that Ash did, although she still got strong enough to make sure no one would hurt her friend ever again. There was Froslass, Komala, Florges, Vaporeon, Leafeon, Wishiwashi, Blastoise, and an Alolan Raichu. For Brock, he had kept all of his old Pokémon, and caught a few new ones as well. He had Turtonator, Drampa, Bewear, Venusaur, Flygon, an Alolan Sandslash, and a Midnight Lycanroc. Serena had chosen to keep her Pokémon the same as well, catching Absol, Mismagius, Jellicent, Flareon, Delcatty, Comfey, Toucannon, and Masquerain.

The four of them had traveled throughout the Alola region, making it their new home, seeing as they had nowhere else to go as a result of Oak's lies. They had grand adventures, and ran into their other friends as well such as Paul, Barry, Sawyer, Alain, and Marron. They even ran into Bonnie, when she was old enough to be a trainer. They also found new friends in the trial captains and others, like Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, Acerola, Sophocles, Malayne, Nanu, Olivia, Hala, Hau, Lusamine, Lillie, and Gladion. When about 3 years had gone by since the traitors' betrayal, Ash, Paul, Barry, Alain, Sawyer, Gladion, and Bonnie all took part in the Alolan League tournament that Professor Kukui had set up, while Dawn took part in Alola's Grand Festival, and Serena pursued her performing career by competing for the title of Alola Queen.

The tournament didn't garner much attention, but the battles that took place were certainly ones for the ages. Through the challenges his rivals put up, Ash emerged victoriously and challenged the Elite 4, leading to him being crowned the Champion, a feat that went widely unrecognized by the other regions. Now one of the leaders of his region, Ash quickly set up his Elite 4, selecting Bonnie, Paul, Lillie, and Brock for the job. Lance, now the Johto Champion at this time, had eventually found out about Ash's new role, but was willing to sit down peacefully with Ash and have a talk.

After using Psychic types as informational probers, and getting proof that Ash's Pokémon were completely healthy, Lance fully believed Ash's story, and promised to keep his success a secret from the rest of the regions as best as he could. Mr. Goodshow found out as well, but sided with Ash instantly, promising to keep the secret as well. They proved to be quite helpful in keeping Ash's secret, as there would've been many times where the world would've found out about Ash if not for them. Ash certainly owed them a great deal, but they had insisted over and over no reward was required.

Under Ash's leadership, the Alola region prospered and ushered in two outstanding years of peace, their first champion ever turning out to be the best the region could hope for. Finishing his recollection of events, Ash slipped on his hat and Mega Z Ring, a gift from Professor Kukui, heading out for breakfast with Dawn and Pikachu. He had accomplished quite a lot in his life, but one thing still remained. The _traitors._

* * *

"Man, this region sure is sunny!" Misty said, stretching her arms out as she let the sun touch her body, currently wearing a bikini as she and her friends walked out of the airport, entering Malie City. "It's like a tropical paradise everywhere you go!"

"I know, right?" May said, following her out, holding hands with Drew, also wearing a bikini, her assets more noticeable than Misty's. "It'll be perfect for getting a spectacular tan, which will definitely pay off!"

"You're fine just the way you are, May," Drew said, seemingly disinterested in his surroundings, although his focus on the steaming hot brunette that was his girlfriend (Most importantly, her larger than average breasts). "Why would you need a tan when you're practically a supermodel already?"

"Hey, don't forget why we're here!" Max said, walking ahead of them, interrupting their conversation. "We're for that Tournament of the Stars, remember? Man, I can't wait!"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down, Max, okay?" May said, sighing at her little brother's antics. There were times when he was almost as annoying as Ash used to be... _almost._

"Your sister's right, you know," Cilan said, currently wearing a horrible pair of sunglasses, which he thought looked cool on him. They only served to make him look more ridiculous, however, with the horrendous accessory making his stupid waiter's uniform stand out even more. "Your constant eagerness for battle, combined with your childish, simplistic arrogance might lead to your downfall."

"Shut up with that nonsense already!" Max said, turning back to face Cilan, an annoyed look on his face as he pointed a short finger at his green-haired friend. "No one even understands your gibberish anyway!"

"Anyway, I can't believe that the Alolan Champion invited us along with every single Gym leader, Elite 4, and Champion in the world to this tournament!" Iris said, sporting her own pair of sunglasses. "Wonder why?"

"Who cares?" Gary said, dismissively as he began to eye Misty's chest and body, appreciating the fact that his girlfriend's body was available for him to admire. "This region has got to be the weakest of the bunch. No Gym battles, just something called the 'island challenge'. Not to mention this Champion isn't very well known."

"That's true," Clemont said, adjusting his glasses as he walked alongside Iris. "Despite this region being known for its open hearts, no one really knows all that much about the Champion, do they?"

"Does it matter?" Max said, walking onwards triumphantly, twirling the Pokéball that held his Gallade inside, the prized Pokémon that he had trained up ever since it was a Ralts. "Whoever their champion is, he OBVIOUSLY has enough sense to recognize my talent as a trainer!"

"Just be cautious, Max." Professor Oak said, walking at the back of the group. "It's true that you win most of your battles, but that's no reason to get cocky."

"The professor's right, Max," Tracy said, already sketching away on his pad, currently drawing the image of a nearby Pikipek. "All kinds of trainers are coming to this tournament, there may be some that you simply can't beat! Personally, I'm kinda worried about the Champions themselves!"

"Yeah, yeah, you make it sound like I'm going to turn out like that loser, Ash!" Max said, putting his Pokéball back on his belt, putting his arms behind his head. "That loser probably wouldn't even make it past the prelims!"

The group of traitors soon made it to the Pokémon Center, where the registration center was, Max still believing that he stood no chance of losing in this tournament. The others had given up all hope of convincing him otherwise, as they simply decided to register. Since there was a battling section, a performing section, and a coordinating section, each of the traitors signed up for what they wished to take part in.

"I can't wait to win this tournament, it'll be a cinch!" Max said to himself as the group walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"Look!" May said, pointing ahead to clear water, bubbling out from a marble fountain while reading from her guidebook. "That's one of Alola's most treasured landmarks, the Malie Springs! It's supposed to be a reminder of the bond that the Champion shares with the CEO of the Aether Foundation!"

"Of course, what would you know about bonds?" The traitors turned around to see who had said those words, only to find a young blonde haired man glaring at them. His hair came down in front of his right eye in rectangular shaped bangs, his left eye a brilliant jade green. He wore a white hoodie with orange highlights, one of his hands clutching a Pokéball.

Beside him was a pale blonde young woman, giving the traitors a glare of their own. Her hair came down around her face in bangs, a ponytail tied with a braid coming down from the back of her head. She had on a white sailor-like shirt with a blue ribbon that was covered by a white vest with orange highlights and a short white miniskirt with a light blue line, and on top of all that she was clutching a Pokéball of her own.

"What do you mean by that?" Misty said, returning their glares with a nasty one of her own. "We're all friends here, so of course we know what bonds are!"

The boy huffed, holding his hand up to his face. "I see, you're right. After all, in order to sever bonds, one must know of them, am I correct?"

"I've had enough of you and your cryptic bullshit!" Max said, stepping forward towards the young man and woman, drawing attention from natives and tourists alike. As he noticed the attention on him, the spectacled boy couldn't help but smirk. He'd spent 5 years training his skills, and with this tournament, he'd finally have the attention of the whole world! "You'd better tell me you who are, cause I, Max Maple, challenge you to a battle, right now!"

"You can't challenge someone to a battle without even knowing who they are, that's absurd!" The young woman said, but her companion stepped forward, a confident smirk on his face, though his eyes glinted with rage.

"Very well then, it's been a while since I've battled, and my partner and I could use the practice." He said, taking out a Pokéball from within his hoodie, twirling it on his index finger. "The name's Gladion, figures I should at least share that with you, given the fact that you've shared yours."

"Doesn't matter to me what your name is, I'll beat you all the same!" Max let out, adjusting his glasses in what he thought to be a cool fashion, giving Gladion a smug smirk. "Remember that name, cause you're looking at the future winner of the Tournament of the Stars!"

"So you think you'll win, huh?" Gladion mused to himself, before turning to his female companion, his expression shifting almost instantly to a much kinder, gentler one. "Lillie, would you mind refereeing our match?"

"But, big brother..." Lillie grumbled, sending a disgusted glance at the traitors, before turning back to give him a pout. "We're gonna be late for breakfast with the others!"

Gladion paid her no heed, however, as he and Max walked away from the group, standing right in front of the Malie Springs. A crowd had begun to form, eager to see how this match played out. Gladion made a mental note to himself to keep the fight contained; he didn't want an Officer Jenny getting involved. Not to mention his mother scolding him about the image a CEO should present once more... "It'll be a one on one match, okay Lillie?" He said.

Seeing that Gladion wasn't going to change his mind, Lillie let out a resigned sigh. "You idiots, go over there and watch..." She said to the traitors, gesturing to an area about 20 feet from where Gladion and Max were about to fight.

"Hey, don't call us idiots!" May yelled out, her friends having to restrain her from launching herself at the blonde girl, the brunette's sight filled with red.

Lillie shrugged, as she got to a reasonable refereeing position, focusing on the match that was about to unfold. "Sorry, but I went to the Prometheus School of Calling it As I See it. So without further ado, let the one on one match between Max Maple and Gladion... begin!"

Max sent out his Pokémon first, confidence practically flowing off of him. "Gallade! Show this jerk what he's dealing with!"

In a flash of light, Gallade burst from his Pokéball, radiating the same confidence as his trainer as he let out a battle cry, experimentally swinging his arm blades.

"You've been by my side, along with him..." Gladion murmured as he let out his Pokémon. "Now it's time we stay by his! Silvally, stand by for battle!"

Silvally let out a roar as he exited his Pokéball, glaring fiercely at Gallade once he realized who he was up against. Gladion quickly tossed a disk to Silvally, a slot opening up on the side of his head to accept it. Instantly, the fins on his head and tail turned black, signifying his transformation into a dark type.

"Wow, what kind of Pokémon is that?" Tracy said in awe, instantly beginning to sketch it. "Are all Pokémon in Alola like that?"

"Shut your mouth, Tracey!" May said, whacking the artist upside the head, as she noticed Lillie's smug smile at their amazement. But the brown-haired trainer couldn't deny that Silvally definitely looked impressive.

"Silvally, now use Crush Claw!" Gladion called out, with a sweep of his arm. Silvally's claws on its front legs glowed a bright white, as the chimera leaped at Gallade with repeated strikes.

"Whoa, what speed!" Iris said, her eyes shining, her jaw practically falling to the floor at the sight of Silvally's speed. "That's gotta be a Dragon-type with that kind of attack speed! Where can I get one?"

Lillie sighed in exasperation as all Max could do was call for Gallade to dodge. She always enjoyed getting the opportunity to watch her brother battle, but she could do without the annoying side chat. "That's a Dark-type, as of now, anyway. Gladion's Pokémon is one of a kind, it can change its types by using Memory Disks like the one Gladion used before the battle."

"Are you serious?" Misty said, breaking away from Gary to get a closer look at Silvally. "There's no Pokémon that can do that, I don't believe that!"

"Perhaps Alola houses some truly special Pokémon that the rest of the world is unaware of..." Professor Oak mused, thoroughly intrigued by the battle unfolding. "But it seems that Max's Gallade is simply better. A shame, really."

Hearing his last statement, Lillie turned back to the battle in worry, as Silvally soon began to tire, its attacks slowing down. Unfortunately, this was Max's hidden opportunity.

"Ha! You may talk big, but your Pokémon sure can't carry it out!" Max said, grinning as Silvally launched its last Crush Claw, resulting in another miss. "Gallade, use Close Combat, back to back!"

Gallade nodded as it dodged Silvally's last Crush Claw, then rushed at the chimera with amazing speed. As it got in range, it unleashed its fists in a rapid flurry, each hit connecting with Silvally. Silvally went flying back, only for Gallade to rush at it again and repeat the process.

"Silvally!" Gladion cried out as his partner was mercilessly beaten twice more by Close Combat, Max jeering from the other side of the battle. "Try to intercept with Crush Claw!"

Silvally nodded to show its acknowledgment, its claws glowing white once more. As Gallade unleashed Close Combat once again, Silvally swung its claws in a defensive manner, but Gallade simply overwhelmed Silvally, sending it flying once again, the chimera Pokémon slamming against the rim of the Malie Fountain.

"And that's the fifth time I've hit you with Close Combat!" Max jeered, calling off Gallade for a bit. Noticing that the crowd had grown in size, his confidence grew as well, the younger Maple pleased that such a large amount of people would be able to see his battle skills before the tournament even started. "Gotta say, you make a pretty good punching bag if nothing else!"

"Hah, see?" May jeered from her spot, noticing the smug look disappearing from Lillie's face. "My brother's gonna win against that fake Pokémon, how bout that?"

"Big brother..." Lillie said, ignoring the Hoenn native's jeers, concerned for her brother instead, remembering the promise he had made to Ash and Silvally.

* * *

 _"My mother..." Gladion said, looking down at the hospital floor from the bench he sat on, Silvally nuzzling him as he talked to Ash. "They're saying that the poison is unlike that of which they've seen before, they've got no clue how to proceed. They're saying that the way she was released from the Nihilego largely contributed to her current condition."_

 _Ash, 15 years old now, couldn't help but frown, recalling the Z-Move he and Pikachu and pulled on Lusamine, effectively defeating her. Guilt overcoming him, he moved to sit next to the blonde boy. "Gladion, I-I'm-"_

 _"Stop." Gladion said instantly, waving him away. "I went to see her, you know. I don't think Lillie has yet, but I hope she does soon. Anyway, I went to see her, expecting the worst. Expecting the Nihilego poison to still have some hold on her. Expecting a vengeful old hag who would despise me and my sister for her condition."_

 _"Gladion..." Lillie murmured from behind a corner, watching the exchange between her brother and Ash, a concerned look on her face._

 _"I went into her room.." Gladion continued, his voice breaking as he continued. "A-and for the first time in a long time, I talked with my mother. As soon as I went in, she immediately asked me how I was doing, about my life, and what I hope accomplish. Ash, she's my MOM again. None of that Nihilego parasite talking through her, its finally just her."_

 _"Pika, pika..." Pikachu murmured, leaping into Gladion's shoulder despite his resistance, giving him a cheek nuzzle._

 _"But you know what?" Gladion said, gathering himself as he looked at Silvally and then Ash. "If not for everything you did, I wouldn't have my mom back. Thanks to Silvally and you, my family could be just that, a family. The doctors don't know if Mom will make through the year, but she and I are okay with that. I-If not for you..."_

 _Seeing Gladion on the verge of tears, a rare sight to see, Ash sat beside him, giving him a comforting hug. Gladion reluctantly accepted, but pulled away for a sec, standing from the bench, putting distance between him and Ash, giving a grateful look to Ash. They shared eye contact for a while, until Gladion spoke again._

 _"...Ash?" He finally asked, after a while of silence._

 _"Yeah?" Ash asked, curious to know what Gladion wanted. "What is it?"_

 _"You've done a lot for me and Silvally in this past year..." Gladion said, a resolved look on his face. "If you ever, EVER need my help, I'll be right by your side. I swear on my life, Silvally and I will repay what you've done."_

* * *

"I know you can do this..." Lillie murmured to herself, seeing the frustration on Gladion's face.

Unknown to her, Gladion was thinking of that very same conversation as well, wracking his brain desperately for a way out of this. His Dark-type Silvally wasn't the best for taking these kinds of attack, but he didn't see an opening anywhere. "He's hit me 5 times... we can't take another one of those..." The blonde boy mused, before it suddenly struck him. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Max questioned, before deciding he didn't care anyway. "Whatever, Gallade hit that freakish Pokémon with Close Combat one last time!"

Gladion grimaced, Silvally couldn't take another one of those, so he needed to tire Gallade out now. "Silvally, please, use Protect!"

The chimera nodded, a luminous green glow surrounding its body, just as Gallade closed in and unleashed its full power Close Combat. Silvally held up its Protect, although it inched back a bit due to the force Gallade was currently exerting on it, the Psychic/Fighting-type threatening to shove Silvally into the fountain. Lillie couldn't help clasping her hands, hoping that Silvally would manage to pull through.

"Stop hiding behind your shield already, or have you already recognized your defeat?" Max said, growing impatient with this battle, the thirteen-year-old certain that his skills were already established. "Gallade, keep using Close Combat and don't let up!"

True to its trainer's command, Gallade unleashed more blows than before, putting all of its power into its attacks. The traitors watched on, honestly not sure how the battle would turn out, but one look at her brother's face was all that Lillie needed to know how this battle would end.

Max laughed out loud, thinking already of his victory, when, suddenly, his Gallade tired out, stumbling back a short distance. "What?! Gallade, keep going!" Max cried out, as astonished as the rest of his friends.

Gladion gave a short chuckle, a ghost of a smirk on his face as he shook his head at Max. "Close Combat is a move that allows the user to move at incredible speeds and deal massive damage." He explained to the spectacled boy. "Overuse of such a move will lead to burnout, much like the burnout a Pokémon can receive from using Hyper Beam. Of course, there's one other thing you may have forgotten about Close Combat."

"W-what?" Max asked, dreading Gladion's answer.

"Close Combat lowers your defenses _immensely_." Gladion continued, snapping his fingers, causing Silvally to charge up its Mutil Attack, its body taking on a dark sheen. "Both physical and special defenses are massively decreased, and after all those times you used it? Well, I'm sure that even an idiot like you could figure out what comes next."

"G-Gallade, get out of there!" Max cried, realizing his mistake, as the traitors watched on in horror and Lillie watched on in relief for her brother. "Get away from him!"

"Well, let's wrap this up," Gladion said, smirking as he readied to end the battle. "Silvally, finish Gallade off by using Multi Attack!"

"Vally!" Silvally cried, letting out a roar as it fired its Multi Attack, firing a darkly colored beam. It hit Gallade dead on, sending the Psychic and Fighting-type sprawling, Gallade skidding to a stop at Max's feet. For a second, Gallade stood strong, looking as if it could keep going, much to Gladion's and Lillie's surprise. Unfortunately for Max, it was just that; a second. It quickly fell backward, landing onto the ground unconscious.

"G-Gallade..." Max stammered, eyes widened with disbelief, as he feebly returned his Pokémon. The traitors all rushed to him, May being one of the first to comfort him on his first loss of the region. Gladion simply scoffed, they displayed this camaraderie for each other, but not for the man who brought them all together?

Lillie came up to Gladion, disrupting him from his thoughts, a pleased look on her face. "Okay, I have to admit, that was fun to watch!" She began, before tugging in her brother's arm. "But we're running late! We're late!"

"Yes, yes, I know," Gladion said, rolling his eyes at his sister's impatience. Sometimes he wished she had never discovered her "Z-Powered form". "It's a very important date. Just go ahead, all right? I'll catch up real soon."

Lillie let out a little huff, and continued on her way, not sparing a second glance for the traitors. She made her way through the crowd, apologizing to the people that she passed on her way. Of course, there was excitement throughout the crowd due to the fact that one of their Elite 4 was passing by, but the traitors barely heard, their attention on the beaten Max.

Gladion found himself lingering for a bit, containing his anger as the traitors all gave Max words of encouragement, ensuring that he'd do better next time. After a few minutes, he spoke up.

"Hey," He said, drawing their attention, and some of their glares.

"What do _you_ want?" May nearly hissed, sending a venomous glare at Gladion.

"I'll just tell you this one thing before I go," Gladion said dismissively as he began to head on his way. "You should try to see if you really understand what bonds are. Cause during this tournament, I can promise you that you'll learn of them for sure."

And with that, the blonde boy walked away, his Silvally dutifully following him, their bond one of many in the region of Alola.

And as the traitors began to head for where they would be staying, they couldn't help but overhear the whispers of the people around them, now that their attention was off their spectacled friend.

"Man, that boy got schooled, didn't he?"

"Serves him right, arrogance never leads to greatness."

"But wasn't Gladion just a bit harsher than usual?"

"You don't think-"

"What else would you expect from the president of the Aether Foundation?"

* * *

 _(10 years ago, in the region of Kanto)_

 _Ash groaned as he lay on the charred grass of his backyard, disoriented from the massive explosion. He tried to get up, but failed as he lowered himself back down. Pikachu lay still beside him, causing Ash to panic, Pikachu couldn't be dead! After checking him over, Ash let out a sigh of relief as he found Pikachu to be only unconscious._

 _"Ash!" He heard Serena call, and suddenly found the honey blonde performer in his view. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right!"_

 _She pulled Ash up off of the ground, slinging him onto her shoulder, grunting at the effort. Luckily, Dawn was nearby, also looking for Ash in the aftermath, her eyes catching the two as she rushed over immediately, her blue hair flying as she ran._

 _"Serena, Ash!" Dawn cried in relief, quickly moving to assist Serena in carrying in Ash. They slowly moved him towards where the others were, which was just outside the Ketchum house. As soon as the guys saw Ash, they took him from the two girls, setting him down on the ground._

 _"Ash, I'm going to give you something, okay?" Brock said, taking out some medicine from his backpack and putting it under Ash's nose. "It's like smelling salts, and more potent."_

 _Ash barely had time to register or make any sort of reply before his senses were suddenly widened, allowing him to fully take in his surroundings. The air was full of smoke, the scent of burning wood filling the air. The sky was blood red in the aftermath of the explosion, flames rising up to the sky. When Ash's eyes wandered to where the flames where coming from, his eyes widened in shock._ _In front of him, his own house was in flames, giving caught fire from the battle._

 _"M-Mom..." Ash muttered, remembering that his mom had gone inside before the traitors had started to confront him._

 _"Ash... I'm sorry," Brock began to say as he placed his hand on Ash's shoulder, before Ash rushed into the burning house. "Ash!" He cried out, running after his friend but to no avail. Even in his condition, Ash was quicker, and the smelling salts helped him out._

 _Coughing, Ash made his way through the house, smoke filling his eyes and lungs. The heat was nearly unbearable, but Ash pushed onwards. He began to make his way to the laundry room, where his mom had said she'd go, wheezing as he went. As he came into the room, however, he was greeted with the sight of his mother being crushed under a plank of wood._

 _"Mom!" Ash cried out, rushing to her, immediately trying to lift the wooden plank. "Don't worry, I'll get you out!"_

 _He attempted to lift the plank off of her and upwards, but no avail, the wooden plank staying right where it was. He tried again, and again, determined not to give up. Each time he failed, he found himself with cut fingers and more blisters than before. He kept trying, however, no matter how many times he failed. "I-I won't leave you here!"_

 _"Ash..." Delia managed to get out, trying to talk to her son, coughing as she did so._

 _"Save... save your energy, Mom!" Ash said, hissing in pain as he failed to lift the plank yet again. "I'm gonna get you out of here!"_

 _"Ash... just listen to me..." Delia said, drawing her son's attention as he momentarily stopped. "Take... take what's in... my hand."_

 _Ash bent down, knowing that those could've easily been his mother's last words, eyes widening when he saw what she held, tearing up a bit. "That's... that's for me?"_

 _"I... made it for... the next step of your journey..." Delia said, managing to give her son a warm smile despite all that was happening. "I... want you to... take it... please..."_

 _"Okay..." Ash said, wiping tears from his eyes, giving a nod, before going back to attempting to free his mother. "But I'm getting you out of here too!"_

 _In his attempts to free his mother, Ash became unaware of his surroundings, focusing only on the task he had set forward for himself. Unfortunately, that made him unaware to the creaking ceiling, slowly breaking under the flames._

 _"Ash, move!" Delia cried, just as the floor caved in, pushing her son out of the way, the wood and furniture covering the rest of her body, as Ash landed just outside the laundry room._

 _Ash coughed, getting up slowly, disoriented from what had just happened. Once realization had sunk in, however, tears began falling from his eyes. "Mom..." He muttered, before looking once more at what she had made for him; a new variation of his very first trainer's hat, but the green check had been made into a rectangular shape, the color scheme remaining mostly the same._

 _Getting back up, Ash managed to make his way out of the house, exhaustion wracking his body. Brock found him halfway, allowing the raven-haired trainer to lean on him as exited the house. Dawn and Serena were there to help him as well, helping him walk to the edge of the road._ _Paul, Barry, Sawyer, and Bonnie looked_ _at Ash expectantly when he got there, giving him more than a few moments to grieve, the raven-haired trainer clutching the hat._

 _After a moment, he looked at the others, resolve burning in his eyes. "Allright, guys. It's time for us to head out, on our next journey."_

 _"But Ash, where would we go?" Dawn asked. "Professor Oak's lies will keep us from going on a journey in most regions, not to mention label you as a criminal."_

 _"I-I don't know..." Ash said, hesitantly. "That's why we're going to get some help."_

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter, hope you enjoyed! If you did, leave a review in the comments below! If you didn't, well tell me what you didn't like about it in your review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Friends

**Hey there, bet you didn't expect me to update this slow, huh? Sorry about that, but strap yourselves in for this chapter! Let's begin!**

* * *

"So, Ash, how do you think the tournament will be?" Paul asked, his mouth full of bagel, reaching for another one as he finished his question, effectively stuffing his face.

Ash wasn't much better, however, stuffing his mouth with donuts, wolfing them down. "Man, Paul, I wish I knew! I'm hoping some competition will turn up, we've got all the Champions and Gym Leaders in the world coming after all!"

Bonnie, Dawn, and Serena could only sweatdrop as they looked on at the two friends, Pikachu and Electivire handling their appetites in a similar way, like their respective trainers. The group of friends were currently here because Dawn had gone to Ash's house this morning to invite him for breakfast with some of their friends. Serena had done the same with Paul, and had grabbed Bonnie along the way.

The five were now seated at 'Malie's Finest', a restaurant that Ash had grown quite fond of during his journey across Alola. Some good memories were made there, the most memorable one being Ash's acquisition of his Pikashunium-Z, so Dawn thought it fitting to have one last moment of peace before the tournament would begin.

Unfortunately for her and the other girls, Ash's and Paul's appetites could be called anything but peaceful, considering that Ash and Paul were effectively being living garbage disposals, practically inhaling their meals.

"Where do you guys even put all that food?" Dawn wondered aloud, the bluenette taking a bite of her blackberry muffin, although not with the same gusto and speed Ash and Paul were going at. "Honestly Ash, how are you not fat already?"

"Hey!" Ash said in between mouthfuls, pointing a finger at Paul, shoving more donuts into his mouth. Gulping them down, he gave a rather childish pout in Dawn's direction. "Paul's eating the exact same way that I am, why don't you talk to him about it?"

"Yeah," Paul said, taking a huge swallow as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes moving from Ash to Dawn. "But Dawn doesn't care about me as much as she does for you, her champion, now does she?"

Bonnie burst out laughing, playfully eyeing Ash and Dawn, while Serena simply rolled her eyes at Paul's antics, a small smile on her face. Dawn's face was blushing a deep tomato red, looking anywhere but Ash for the moment, a smile still on her face.

"I-I mean, I care for Ash a lot! Of course, I'd be concerned for his health!" She said, pointing her fork at Paul, causing the purple-haired trainer to simply shrug his shoulders and smirk.

"Um, thanks, Dawn..." Ash said, a small blush growing on his face as he put yet another donut into his mouth, quickly swallowing it. Over the years, during his travels through Alola, he had definitely matured, although parts of his childish self still remained, especially when he interacted with his Pokémon. He was no stranger to Dawn's growing feelings for him over those years, he had long since grown out of his romantic density, however, he had no idea how to reciprocate those feelings, especially since more among his friends showed similar feelings...

Ash shrugged those thoughts off for now as he made a move to take away Pikachu's 5-gallon bottle of ketchup, the electric mouse quickly guzzling down the red condiment.

 _"Hey!"_ Pikachu cried out in a betrayed tone, as Ash took the bottle away. _"Come on, Ash, be a pal and give it back!"_

Ash shook his head, giving his partner a sheepish smile. "Sorry Pikachu, but you know you have a limit. Remember what happened when we left you alone with that hot dog stand the day I became the Alolan Champion?"

 _"Heck yeah, I do!"_ Pikachu said, licking his lips as he stared off dreamily, recalling the day vividly in his mind. _"That was the absolute best day of my life..."_

"And remember that same night you spent at Professor Kukui's lab with an upset stomach, begging for a swift and speedy death?" Ash told his partner, snapping him out of his daydream.

 _"Oh yeah..."_ Pikachu murmured, a frown on his face as if he was recalling an unpleasant memory, then continued his attempts at trying to grab the ketchup. _"Worst night of my life... Now gimme the ketchup!"_

"What?! You just remembered what happens when I let you have this much, and you're STILL trying take the bottle?" Ash said incredulously, holding the bottle high out of Pikachu's reach, leaning back in his seat as he did so.

 _"The means justify the ends, Ash!"_ Pikachu cried out, beginning to jump to try and reach the ketchup, Ash raising the bottle higher every time he leapt. _"Now give me ketchup or give me your death!"_

"You don't even know what you're saying!" Ash cried, leaping out of his seat, as Pikachu's attempts became more desperate. Their friends simply looked on and laughed, Paul getting up to help his friend out, as two others walked up to their table.

"So, Pikachu's at it again, huh?" Gladion asked, announcing his presence as he came up behind Lillie, the two of them taking their seats at the table, Gladion taking a seat on Serena's left, and Lillie taking a seat on her right, sitting next to Ash. Gladion's Sivally followed close behind, simply laying down under the table, banged up a bit. "Doesn't he ever learn?"

"Maybe when you learn that being fashionably late doesn't work for you," Serena said playfully, poking Gladion's shoulder, causing him to turn away and huff. "Seriously, I called you guys ahead of time, what happened?"

"I was busy with some stuff," Gladion said, not giving Serena much else to go on, much to her annoyance. The honey blonde turned to her breakfast instead, teasing Gladion about his lack of food by slowly eating her fresh toast. Meanwhile, Ash had finally calmed Pikachu down with the promise of eating out at Paniola's Pancakes later that day and sat down, giving Lillie a questioning look, while Gladion narrowed his eyes at a Serena stuffing her mouth.

"What Gladion _means_ to say," Lillie said, giving Ash an apologetic smile as she continued. "Is that he made us late by getting caught up in a Pokémon battle."

"Really, now?" Paul asked, sitting down in his own seat, intrigued. Gladion's skills, while quite rusty as of late, were nothing to joke around about. "Gladion actually fought in a battle? It's been a while since you've battled, hasn't it?"

"Yeah!" Bonnie agreed, eyeing the current president of the Aether foundation, playing with Dedenne in her bag, feeding the Electric/Fairy-type some of her scrambled eggs. "I thought you said that you weren't going to battle until your matches in the tournament? Who'd you fight?"

"Max Maple," Gladion said in his usual tone, moving his head to pet Silvally, feeding it some Sitrus Berries, the chimera Pokémon letting out sounds of content. However, the mood of the table dropped severely, as everyone's faces turned to looks of sadness, disgust, or anger.

"That brat?" Paul asked, spitting out the word brat, busying his hands by rubbing Electivire's fur, his food the last thing on his mind now. "Should've known he'd be one of the first to challenge us."'

"How'd you do against him?" Serena asked with concern, trailing her hand down Gladion's arm, her eyes filled with worry as she began to take notice of Silvally's worn-down state.

"We won," Gladion said, turning to Serena, a minor look of frustration on his face, his hands still running over Silvally's body. "Although it came too close for my liking in the end."

"Is he really that strong?" Dawn asked as a small frown formed on her face, thinking Ash and Paul may have gotten their competition after all. "I don't remember Max and the others being such good trainers..."

"Well, Gladion might've done better if he hadn't sent Sivally in its Dark typing to fight a Gallade," Lille said dismissively, waving for one of the waitresses as she did so, sending a childish glare at her brother. "Using Bug or Flying typing would've helped a lot."

Gladion simply huffed, looking anywhere but in his sister's direction, instead choosing to focus on his menu. "Fact is, he's not much of a pushover, but his battle strategy is atrocious. Repeated moves are probably just the tip of the iceberg for him."

Dawn was about to reply, when she noticed Ash being strangely quiet, his chin in his right hand as he looked down onto the table, visibly upset. Lillie noticed this as well, wrapping her arms around his, looking at his face with worried eyes.

"Gladion, were the rest of them there?" Ash said after what seemed like an eternity of silence, turning to look at his blonde rival. "Misty, May, and the others?"

Gladion simply gave a short nod, although Serena picked up on a hint of concern, most likely for Ash, as the blonde made his order. "Yeah, the whole bunch of them. Misty, Gary, Professor Oak, Tracy, May, Max, Drew, Trip, Iris, and Cilan."

"No one else?" Bonnie asked silently, pursing her lips as she looked hopefully at Gladion, hugging Dedenne to her chest.

Gladion sighed as the waitress moved on to Lillie, giving Bonnie a sympathetic look, as he knew how hard it was to deal with familial problems firsthand. "Your brother, Clemont, is also here."

A resentful look appeared on Bonnie's face as she heard the news. "He's not my brother... not anymore." She paused, giving her friends a small smile before continuing. "You guys are my family now, and I wouldn't change that for the world!"

Ash gave her a huge smile back, standing up from his seat, finished with his meal, Pikachu leaping onto his partner's shoulder. "I wouldn't have it any other way either, Bonnie." He said, ruffling her hair in a brotherly fashion.

"So Ash, you ready to get this tournament started?" Paul asked, a smirk on his face as he thought about the traitors he'd crush, getting up from his seat.

"Am I ever!" Ash replied, pumping his fist, Pikachu doing the same, a smile on his face. "Come on everybody, let's go!"

"Haven't eaten yet," Gladion said, to Ash's dismay, as the blonde began to tuck into his newly received waffles, sharing some with Silvally, putting a complete stop to Ash's excitement.

"N-Neither have I..." Lillie said sheepishly, an embarrassed look on her face as she received her eggs and bacon from the waitress, nervously fiddling with her hair.

"But... but the tournament starts in 15 minutes!"

* * *

"Man, I still can't believe you battled the President of the Aether Foundation!" Clemont was saying to Max, a shine in his eyes as he leaned in particularly close to Max's face. "Do you even know how cool that is?"

"And I still can't believe you keep talking about it!" Max whined, falling backward into his bed. The traitors had rented a room at the Pokémon Center after Max's battle with Gladion, deciding to wait there until the Tournament of the Stars was ready to commence. Needless to say, Clemont had been beside himself with excitement ever since learning Gladion's true identity.

"Yeah, Clemont, what's the big deal?" Iris asked, disregarding Max's whining, letting Axew crawl through her large hair. "Why are you so crazy about that guy anyway?"

"You would be too if you understood what he's done!" Clemont said in a giddy tone, turning in Iris's direction, his eyes shining even brighter. "He's singlehandedly led experiments on all kinds of Pokémon, and his company has invented tons of machines to assist in those purposes! He's discovered all kinds of new Pokémon, and the Aether Foundation are the leading experts in researching them!"

"Really, now?" Professor Oak said, his mind wandering to all the valuable discoveries the Aether Foundation had contributed to Pokémon research across the world, due to the results of many experiments. "That must be quite the list of accomplishments..."

"Too bad _your_ machines aren't that good, Clemont..." May said, bored out of her mind as she lay her head on Drew's lap, Drew looking down at her mischievously, May sending a sexual look back at him. "They always end up blowing up or something like that, don't they?"

"Enough about that guy, already!" Max said, getting up off of the bed before Clemont could defend himself against May's accusations, a frustrated look in his eyes. "If he's not even part of this region's Elite 4 and I lost, how am I going to win this tournament? I'm not just going to sit here and let my butt get handed to me!"

The traitors all looked at him, before Oak spoke up. "You know Max, perhaps if you began to train your Pokemon during the time you have between battles, you may strengthen your own Pokémon and hold your own past the preliminaries."

"Train?" Max asked, frowning, folding his arms across his chest in a childish manner. "But it's been so long since I've had to do that!"

"Stop acting like such a little kid!" Iris said, fingering her Pokéballs as she looked at Max, Axew popping out of her hair to chime in. "Just because you won the Unova League doesn't mean that you won't ever have to train again!"

"Iris is right, Max." Cilan began, preparing to launch into yet another of his annoying speeches. "Your lack of training with your Pokémon is like a well-prepared dish going cold without-"

"Alright, I get it, already!" Max said, covering his ears as he got his stuff together, wrapping his Pokéballs around his waist, getting ready to head out to the tournament. "I'll do it after the tournament begins, alright?"

"Speaking of the tournament, isn't it starting soon?" Gary said, looking smugly through a research journal while sitting on a sofa, gloating inwardly at the number of findings he had put in there, disinterested with what was going on.

"Oh yeah, it's happening in like 15 minutes or so, isn't it?" Misty asked, leaning on Gary, her hand wandering toward his crotch area.

"15 minutes?!" Max said, surprised as he began to slip on his shoes and socks, obviously in a hurry. "Come on, we gotta get going!"

"Whoa, hold on Max, you're kinda acting like Ash there!" Tracey blurted out, having been furiously drawing until that moment, Trip having looked on over his shoulder.

A silence came over the room at the mention of their former companion, many emotions coming to surface. Max and May particularly glared at Tracey, their looks sharp enough to cut him open right then and there.

"Don't you ever compare me to that weakling!" Max said, indignant at the fact that he could resemble Ash for even an instant.

"Yeah, Max is nothing like Ash, you understand?!" May said, taking her head off of Drew's lap, much to his disappointment.

"Y-Yeah..." Tracey said, quite a bit intimidated as he began to go back to his drawing, giving a nervous laugh. "I'll be sure not to do it again, alright?"

An awkward pause rested over the room until Trip spoke up, his mind not really concerned about the minor conflict that had just unfolded. "Hey, does anyone here have any clue who the Alolan Champion could be?"

"Nah, but who cares! No matter who it is, he's probably gonna be cool, prepared, and the very picture of what a Champion should be!" The spectacled kid paused for a bit, as he began to move out of the door. "I just can't wait to crush him!"

* * *

Ash let out a large sneeze as he continued running down the streets at a rapid pace, Pikachu barely holding onto his shoulder, and his friends following at similar speeds not too far behind him. "Gah, I better not be catching a cold on top of all this!"

"Wait, Ash, you're catching a cold?" Dawn said, interrupting Ash's current train of thought as she caught up to him, running beside him.

"What, no!" Ash replied, before frowning a bit, pondering the possibility of him actually having a cold. "At least, I don't think so..."

"Ash is catching a cold?" Lillie asked through a mouthful of bacon as she caught up to the two, her blonde hair flying behind her. "How bad is it? Will you be able to battle?"

"No, I'm fine!" Ash insisted, adjusting his shoulder to Pikachu to hold on. "Really, it was just one sneeze!"

"Famous last words before you die of hypothermia." Paul joked, a smirk on his face as he looked back at Ash, running ahead of the raven-haired trainer, Electivire stashed away in its Pokéball for now. "The mighty Champion of Alola, taken out by one sneeze, is that it?"

"Wait, Ash is sick?" Bonnie asked, struggling to keep at the pace the others were running at, Dedenne snug in her little bag. "I have tissues if you want!"

"Ash better not be sick," Gladion said dismissively, his Silvally right beside him as he ran next to Bonnie. "I trained all month for the chance to fight him, and I'm not settling for Paul."

"Hey, what's wrong with me?" Paul said indignantly, glaring over at Gladion rather comically. "Ash is the one that got himself sick after hyping us all up for this tournament!"

"I'M NOT SICK, OKAY?!" Ash let out in a yell, just as the group reached the arena Ash had his Elite 4 set up in Maile City. It was a spectacularly large arena, one that rivaled the size of the ones the Pokémon League would set up. Its field had many settings, many inspired from the Pokémon League tournaments Ash had taken part in over the years, but still had a few that Ash had thought of himself. Purple and orange were its main colors, inspired by the region's guardians, Solgaleo and Lunala.

Ash stopped right in front of the entrance to the arena, most of the people were inside already. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was about to come, his friends lingering behind him. Pikachu, still on his shoulder after all that, looked over at his trainer, a concerned look on his face. _"Ash, are you ready? Professor Oak and the others... they'll be in there, you know?"_

"Yeah..." Ash said, adjusting his tried and true hat, a determined smile growing on his face. "But it doesn't matter what they say or do. I've got you right by my side, don't I?"

 _"Heh, you bet!"_ Pikachu replied, giving his trainer a thumbs up. _"Now, if you could prove our friendship with, just saying, a 5-gallon ketchup bottle that's rightfully mine...?"_

"Nah," Ash said, playfully rubbing his partner's head, before hoisting his Mega Z-Ring, right on his wrist, for Pikachu to see. "I think this is a better way to show it, don't you?"

Pikachu paused for a second, then nodded, smiling at his trainer. _"Yeah, I think so too, Ash."_

"Hey, are we going in, or not?" Paul called, growing impatient with this, Electivire already out of its Pokéball and right beside him. "Cause this is taking an awful lot of my time..."

"Never mind him, Ash," Dawn cut in, playfully shoving Paul, much to the purple-haired trainer's chagrin. A hint of red appeared on her cheeks as Ash turned to look at her, the bluenette continuing to reassure him. "No matter what happens, we're right behind you, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," Ash said softly as he smiled, turning to look at his friends. "You guys have always been there for me, haven't you? Don't worry, I'm ready for this."

Gladion sighed, growing uncomfortable with the situation, accidentally walking closer to Serena. The Pokémon performer smirked at this, however, spreading her arms wide in preparation for a large hug, Gladion only growing more uncomfortable at the sight. "Come on, don't make this all touchy-feely, you know I don't do that..."

Ash laughed at his friends' antics, rubbing the back of his head. "Alright, we'll skip the group hug this time, let's just head on in, okay?"

"Sounds good to me!" Serena said, playfully hugging Gladion, much to his dismay.

"Hey, Ash said no group hugs, what the hell?!" Gladion exclaimed, attempting to push the honey blonde off of him.

"But this isn't a group hug, now is it?" Serena said, giving him a playful grin before hugging him tighter, causing him to struggle even harder.

Ash could only laugh once as he began to head inside, certain his friends would have his back, no matter what.

* * *

 **And that's it for now! Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review below! I've taken some of your pairings into mind, and I'm pretty sure how it'll end up for Ash, but you're still free to comment who you'd like Ash to end up with below! Or maybe comment on what you liked, since I'd like to get this story right!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Champion Revealed

**Hey there! Hope you like this chapter as well, but without further ado, let's begin! To be honest, I tried to get this out on New Year's, but I guess I kinda fell a bit late, huh? Well, anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 _"You can't be serious!" Professor Sycamore cried out in palpable shock, Alain sharing a similar expression on his normally serious face. "That actually happened?"_

 _Ash could only nod his head, his real friends standing right behind him, as the Kalos Professor struggled to comprehend what Ash had just told him. After processing what had happened at his house, Ash gathered himself and decided to head right to Kalos with his friends. His friends were somewhat hesitant on simply believing Sycamore would trust him, but Ash was sure of the Kalos Professor, and if not, he was definitely sure Alain would believe him._

 _They had taken their Pokémon and flew to Kalos, since news spread quick in Pallet Town and people were already beginning to accuse Ash of murdering his mother, as painful as that was for him. And what made it painful still was that those accusations weren't of the traitors' doing, the people of Kanto had completely turned against him, mainly due to Professor Oak's lies. They had been forced to travel to Kalos in the night since it was almost sundown when the traitors had left Ash at his burning house, and his friends didn't want to risk Ash's safety by waiting until daylight._

 _Ash and his friends still made it to Kalos, however, thankfully before the rumors about Ash had spread there. It was at this time that Ash had run into his former Kanto Pokémon, Butterfree, Primeape, Pidgeot, and Lapras. Hoping they would come along with him, Ash asked each and every one of them to join him. Butterfree had to decline, as his family had just reached an amount of 10, and he didn't feel right just leaving them, although he promised to visit Ash wherever he went. Primeape declined as well, Ash and him never really got along, to begin with, so he saw no point in trying now. Pidgeot had trained enough of the Pidgeotto to keep the forest safe, so she was happy to come along with Ash. It was the same with Lapras, and although she had trouble leaving her family again, they promised to visit her wherever she had Ash ended up._

 _They had made it to Professor Sycamore's lab, much to his surprise at seeing Ash back in the Kalos region and so soon, and in a poor condition to boot. He had, fortunately, let them inside, however, offering them shelter at his place, which led up to this moment, as Ash had finished conveying his story to Sycamore, the professor currently in disbelief, Alain wearing a similar expression on his face, although his contained rage as well._

 _"I know that it's probably a lot to take in, Professor Sycamore..." Ash said, sitting on a sofa, with Pikachu fast asleep on his lap, the two of them exhausted from the day's events. Dawn and Brock were sitting on either side of them, weariness evident on their faces as well, Piplup and Sudowoodo and their sides, respectively. Ash's Charizard was standing right behind the sofa, in a protective manner over his trainer, the rest of Ash's Pokémon and friends being tended to by one of Sycamore's assistants._

 _"But please, you're probably one of the few people that I can trust right now.." Ash continued, looking at Sycamore with a faint hope on his eyes. The professor could only stare at the young man, however, not knowing what to think of the situation._

 _"You don't honestly think Ash is lying, do you?" Dawn asked, interjecting as she found herself frowning with worry, not wanting Ash to get hurt again with yet another person who wouldn't believe in him._

 _"Haven't you known him long enough to tell if he'd just make something like this up?" Brock said, a wave of silent anger bubbling beneath, hoping Ash's trust in Professor Sycamore wasn't misplaced._

 _Professor Sycamore hesitated, of course, he'd known Ash long enough to determine whether the boy was lying or not. But Ash was wearing a somber, serious expression, one that he had not seen him wear before, making him feel uneasy. If the story he was just told was told by any other young trainer, he'd laugh them out or perhaps ring up Oak himself. Professor Oak was one of the most esteemed researchers in his region, in the whole world. Such a story was laughable at best._

 _And yet, every word Ash spoke was with unmistakable clarity. He didn't falter, his eyes gave away no ulterior motive, only a silent hope along with a plead for help. But still, this story he told of Professor Oak and the others, the acts that were taken by these individuals, the deceased Delia Ketchum... Unmistakably, this was manslaughter, it didn't matter if it was accidental or not, along with blackmail and slander. Could the man that the researching world looked up to and idolized be capable of causing such things?_

 _Sycamore was interrupted from his thoughts as a loud beeping came from his computer, causing the raven-haired man to turn around with a start._

 _"Alain," Sycamore said, turning to his still shocked pupil, unnerved by this whole situation. "Could you please go and see what that is?"_

 _"Of course, Professor," Alain nodded, his scarf swishing as he went towards the still beeping computer. Without a doubt in his mind, he believed Ash's story, not finding any reason why his rival would have to lie. More so, he found himself disgusted at what Ash's former companions had done to him and his mother, and could only hope that the professor would see this situation in the same way. However, as he looked onto the computer screen, his eyes widened as he saw what it was._

 _It was a broadcast, to what extent it was being sent was unknown to Alain, but the sender of the broadcast became all too apparent as he gazed at the aged man currently on the screen. "Professor Sycamore?" He called, turning back to his mentor. "You may want to see this..."_

 _Sycamore walked up closer to the computer, eyes widening as he saw the man on the screen. Broadcasting at that moment, right on Sycamore's computer, was none other Professor Oak himself, a stern look on his aged face. Sycamore couldn't help but turn up the volume, enough to so that Ash and his friends would be able to hear._

 _"Greetings, Pokémon researchers, gym leaders, Elites, and Champions of the world, as well as anyone else that may be watching. I am Professor Oak, esteemed researcher and trainer license distributor of the Kanto region." Professor Oak started off, his image clear as day on the computer before he continued. "Today, sadly, I bring you most alarming news. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, a finalist in the Kalos League, has been found to beat and abuse his Pokémon, the most recent incident being after his loss in the Kalos League. While being confronted about this, however, he reacted violently, forcing his Pokémon to attack those attempting to apprehend him, ultimately resulting in the death of his own mother in the aftermath of such attacks. He has blackmailed a number of his former friends to help him, mind control may be a method he uses to do this as he definitely may possess the Pokémon to do so. Based on these events, I strongly suggest Ash Ketchum be relieved of his Pokémon Trainer privileges, and any sighting of him be reported immediately for your own safety and the safety of everyone else."_

 _With that, the broadcast was done, the video shut off as quickly as it had been turned on. Sycamore and Alain could only stare at the blank screen as realization at the current situation began to sink in. Meanwhile, on the sofa, Brock was absolutely furious at what Oak had just done, effectively pitting the world against Ash with seemingly no way out. Dawn was livid as well, however her concerns were now on Ash, her eyes filled with worry as she reached out to give him a hug._

 _Ash had remained silent throughout the entire broadcast, his fists tightly clenched as he looked downwards at the floor. Each and every word Oak had said on that recording had hit Ash like a brick, his head beginning to spin. Apparently, Ash now abused his Pokémon, attacked without cause, killed his own mother, blackmailed his friends, mind-controlled his friends, and could not be a trainer in any region that chose to go against him. As it was currently doing for Alain and Professor Sycamore, the hard realization of his new reality was currently sinking in. Was he a criminal now? Where would he go? How could he care for his Pokémon? What about his friends? Were they criminals now too? Would they be better off without him? What would if he just went away? What would happen if he d-_

 _Ash's violent whirlwind of thoughts were cut off as Dawn embraced him in a warm hug, her body warm against his as she wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, there's no need to worry, okay?" She said, her signature phrase bringing a small smile to Ash's face._

 _"...When you say that, it makes me worry even more." Ash said, cheekiness creeping into his voice as he returned Dawn's hug, a small blush creeping onto his face as he realized how close she was to him._

 _"Well, just trust in me this time, okay?" Dawn said, pulling back to look into Ash's face, her face tinted a light red as well. "Can you do that, just this once?"_

 _"Just this once?" Ash repeated, beginning to feel the slightest bit better as he nodded. "Yeah, considering how many times I've done it before? This should be easy."_

 _Sycamore cleared his throat, however, getting Ash's and Dawn's attention, having turned away from the computer to look at the former trainers. "Ash, I'm deeply sorry for what's happening to you,_ _and for doubting you as well." He said, causing Ash's eyes to light up. "But after seeing that broadcast, I'm certain you're telling me the truth."_

 _"Really?" Ash said, giving Sycamore a smile, relief filling his body. "You mean it, Professor?"_

 _"Why of course. Those accusations... I've seen what you go through for your Pokémon, and Pokémon that aren't even yours. To even insinuate you would turn to abuse..." Professor Sycamore said, a melancholy look on his face as he attempted to return Ash's smile, the gravity of the situation fully setting in. "However, we now have a problem, Ash. If Diantha idolizes Oak half as much as I do, she may be against you, which means you won't be allowed to travel this region."_

 _"But the Champion knows Ash!" Alain protested to Profesor Sycamore, recalling Ash telling him about him meeting her before. "Surely she'll be on his side, right?"_

 _"And how long did Misty know Ash before she betrayed him?" Brock said bitterly, his face visibly upset just thinking about how the friend he and Ash had known for a long time had just simply turned her back on them, Charizard sharing a similar expression behind him. "What are you planning to do, Professor?"_

 _"As long as you want me to, I'm willing to hide you here." Professor Sycamore said, spreading his hands to indicate his whole laboratory, much to Ash's surprise. "You've been through quite an ordeal, simply sending you away would be a horrible thing to do. You and your friends will get your rest here, get back on your feet, and we'll plan on what your next move will be."_

 _"But Professor, if what you say about Diantha is true, then if she finds out-" Alain tried to say, concerned for the professor before Sycamore cut him off with a weary sigh._

 _"I know, Alain," He said, running his hand through his hair, his bluish eyes showing the man was in deep thought. "I'll lose my Pokémon distributing license, have my Pokémon Professor status revoked, and I'll probably be jailed for aiding a known criminal."_

 _"Professor Sycamore..." Ash said, hardly believing what he was willing to give up just to help him. "Y-You don't have to do this, I can leave right now if you want-"_

 _Sycamore disregarded him, walking towards a hallway, gesturing to the door at the end. "Ash, you're a fine young man, you know that? A fine young man that's wrapped up in adult problems. That being said, allow me, one of the only adults right now that want to, help you and your friends."_

* * *

Ash sighed as he walked through the inside of the tournament arena, sections prohibited to the audience, his mind drifting back to how he had gone to Sycamore for help all those years ago. He was definitely looking forward to seeing him again, the man had done more for him than he himself knew, besides helping him in his time of need.

"A penny for your thoughts, Ash?" Ash was brought back from his train of thought, turning around to see Serena, walking right beside him.

"Well, I was just thinking about some things..." He said, embarrassed that this seemed to be happening quite a bit lately. "It's nothing, really."

"You're sure about that?" Serena said, looking at her friend, concern written all over her face. "When you get like that... I worry about you."

"Really, Serena," Ash insisted, placing his hands on Serena's shoulders, causing the two to stop for a bit as he stared into her eyes. "I'm fine, there's no need to worry, okay?"

"Okay then, that's fine with me," Serena said, relieved as she gave her friend a cheeky smile as she continued walking, shrugging his hands off. "Well, I'm glad you're not Dawn, or I'd actually have to worry!"

Ash couldn't help but let out a laugh, followed by a giggle from Serena. Soon the hallway they were walking along was filled with laughter, something that they both found comforting, especially since they both knew what was going to have to happen today.

"Wait, where's everyone else?" Ash said, as the laughter slowly died down, just now noticing that he and Serena were the only ones walking down the hallway. Dawn, Lillie, Bonnie, Paul, Gladion, and even Pikachu were nowhere to be seen. "Wasn't I walking ahead of them?"

"Well, Mr. Lost-In-Thought," Serena teased as she pointed ahead. "While you were busy thinking about who knows what, the others decided to leave you to your thoughts, leaving me to make sure you actually showed up to your own tournament on time."

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, giving Serena an embarrassed grin. "Ah... sorry about that."

"It's fine," Serena said, putting a strand of her behind her ear, her tone shifting to a more serious one. "You've probably got a lot on your mind, huh?"

"Serena-" Ash began to say, about to protest, before getting cut off by Serena.

"You can't play dumb with me, Ash." She said, turning to look at him. "Not after all these years that we've known each other. Those traitors are here, the world still thinks that you abuse your Pokémon and friends, you still haven't returned Lillie's or Dawn's love for you, and on top of all that, you're going to have to reveal that you're the Alolan Champion, aren't you?"

Ash remained silent, looking down at the floor, before speaking up. "Yeah... it's a lot to take in... but it's not like all this came out of the blue. I'd always have to meet the traitors again one day, the world's believed the same lies for a while now, Lillie and Dawn have both had feelings for me for some time now, and it's not like I was planning on keeping my identity a secret forever. But still... it all seems like it's crashing down on me... but I don't want anyone to worry."

"We're your friends, Ash," Serena said, having Ash a loud tap on his head with her knuckle. "It's basically our job to worry about you, you know? _I_ worry about you, and I'll be here to support you, always. That's what friends do, you dolt, you get it?"

Ash paused a bit, taking what Serena had said in. There was no doubt about it, Serena and the others were his friends now, they were the ones that had stood by him when everyone turned their backs on him, weren't they? "Yeah..." He said after a short while, smiling to himself. "Yeah, I get it."

"Well, good," Serena said, pleased that Ash was seeing it her way. "Oh, and by the way, don't think that I'm the only one that worries about you this much. I know a certain bluenette that has been worrying herself sick over this tournament, and not just for her appeal."

"Serena, you don't-" Ash was about to say, before being cut off by the honey blonde once again.

"Listen, she loves you, and I know you love her back," Serena said, a wistful look in her eyes, Ash's and Serena's little walk in a world all of its own now. "I remember when I used to look at you like that, you know? All the way back when we were traveling around the Kalos region. I was _smitten,_ I couldn't stop thinking about you, clueless to the platonic love you felt for me. But this time... it's different. This time, she loves you, _and_ she's lucky enough that you love her back. The way you two look at each other... it's special, and I'd hate to see what happened with us happen to you two."

"I _do_ love her... but you know it's not as simple as that, Serena," Ash said, brows furrowed as he pondered his choices. "I'm going to have to make a choice, I know that I do. Choosing one over the other... it's all so new to me. But... I'll keep what you said in mind, okay?"

"And maybe give the lucky girl some kisses along the way?" Serena said playfully shoving her friend with her hand as they neared the entrance to the spectator seats Ash would be residing in.

Ash simply let out a nervous laugh, moving forward to open up the door for Serena, gesturing for her to go in first. "Well, I guess we'll see, won't we?"

* * *

Practically every trainer that was qualified could be spotted in the immense stadium. Those that were Gym Leaders were given their own area to sit, sorted by the region that each of them came from. The same was true for the Elite 4, their area being placed right behind the Gym Leaders. And yet, they were still under the skybox Ash had set aside for each of the regional Champions to reside.

Max could barely contain himself, his eyes practically bursting out of his head as he spotted one elite trainer after the other. "WOW! There are amazing trainers from all over the world here! Look, there's Flint from the Sinnoh Elite 4! And Steven Stone, the Hoenn Champion! And Grimsley from the Unova Elite 4! And Drayden, the strongest gym leader in the Unova region! And-"

"Yeah, yeah, Max," Misty said, pulling her head up from Gary's lap to look at the spectacled boy, dressed in clothing a little less revealing, almost reminiscent of the attire she wore when she was traveling with Ash. "We already knew all these people would be here, what's the point in getting so worked up?"

"Let him have his fun, babe," Gary said, playfully putting a finger to his girlfriend's mouth, shushing her, running his other hand down her body. A bit tired of all the attention he was giving her, Misty complied with her boyfriend's touch, although she did so in a resigned manner. "These _are_ some pretty strong trainers after all."

"Just promise me that you won't die of a heart attack when the Alolan Champion reveals himself, okay?" May advised her little brother, a concerned tone in her voice, before beginning to make out with Drew, the green-haired trainer reciprocating her affections.

"Well, I for one, am quite intrigued by who this brand new Champion could be." Professor Oak said in a wise manner, turning to Max. "And I'm sure that last-minute training that you put in will certainly help."

"It better, Professor!" Iris said, mainly excited by the Johto Champion, Lance, and his Dragonite, Axew sharing her excitement from within her hair. "Max whining about losing isn't something I signed up for today, you know?"

"Have a little faith in Max, Iris!" Cilan said, patting the Dragon trainer's head softly. "After all, trust and friendship to others are like integral spices into a brilliant meal, the two complementing each other, and making their flavor stronger!"

Everyone in that group paused, turning to look at the green-haired connoisseur, what he had said actually made sense to them.

"D-Did Cilan actually make sense?" May asked wondrously, turning away from her boyfriend to stare at Cilan.

"Better yet, did we actually let Cilan finish one of his stupid metaphors?" Gary said, mostly irritated that Misty's attention wasn't on him anymore.

"I dread to think about what this means for my mental health..." Professor Oak moaned, putting his face into his hands, looking downwards onto the floor.

"Also, I'm kinda hungry," Cilan said but was drowned out by Max's ecstatic screams.

"Guys, look!" Max cried out, his glasses nearly flying off of his head as he jumped out of his seat, more excited than a group of fireworks. He pointed out towards the arena, a large door opening up, the people of Alola beginning to cheer. "The Alolan Elite 4, they're coming out right now! Wait... they kinda look familiar... HOLY SHIT!"

The others were confused as to who Max meant, and turned to look at the battlefield, their eyes instantly widening at who the Alolan Elite 4 had turned out to be. And they weren't the only ones, people that came from outside the Alola region were all around them, bearing similar expressions on their faces. The people of Alola only cheered louder, however, seemingly taking enjoyment in everyone else's confusion. The traitors could only watch, however, eyes widened, as the unexpected began to happen right before their very eyes.

* * *

Before this, however, Ash had some time to kill as he entered the spectators' room reserved for him and his friends, going in right after Serena. All conversations in the room stopped, as all attention focused on Ash. Of course Pikachu, Dawn, Lillie, Bonnie, Paul, and Gladion were there, but there were others who were there as well. Brock, tending to a Stufful with his wife, Olivia, Sawyer taking notes in his little notebook as always, and Hau, still as cheerful as ever, were all there. Serena could only snicker as Ash's face turned red from all the attention.

She playfully skipped over to Gladion's side and nudged his shoulder, the Aether President busying himself with his Silvally. "Bet you missed me, didn't you?"

"Barely noticed you had left." Gladion deadpanned, tending to his partner, causing Serena to pout, leaning her body onto his shoulder.

"Um, sorry I'm late, guys.." Ash said, calling attention back to himself, trailing off as he rubbed the back off his head, fingers running through raven black hair, smiling sheepishly. "I guess I kinda got caught up in something."

"That's what you always say, Ash!" A familiar voice rang out. Ash turned to see Barry running into the spectator's room right behind him, all worked up as usual. "I oughta give you a fine for that, ya hear?"

Ash sweatdropped as he stared at Barry. The two had become closer friends since the betrayal and had remained good rivals, but there were times when Barry could be... a bit much. "Barry, you came here even later than me!"

Barry simply crossed his arms, smirking. "Well, you're the Champion, aren't you? You should be here first, today's the tournament, after all!"

"Pot, meet kettle." Paul quipped, although he was pretty happy to see Barry, even if he wouldn't admit it. The two had gained a pretty solid rivalry over the years, although Paul could be a bit hard-pressed to call him his friend at times. "But he's right Ash, the tournament is starting in just a few minutes, you should be out there already."

Paul's words sank into Ash's head like an anchor, realization creeping into his mind. The tournament itself had completely slipped off the edge of his mind after coming out of that conversation with Serena. He blinked a solid quiet moment passing, before yelling out loud, startling everyone around him. "SHIT, YOU'RE RIGHT!"

"Same old Ash," Brock said, sighing and turning to the bluenette next to him, but not without a smile on his face as he linked Olivia's hand with his own. "I guess some things never change, huh Dawn?"

Dawn giggled, shaking her head in agreement, a dreamy look coming into her eyes as she looked over at Ash. "Nope, and I don't think they ever will. Give him some credit though, I'm pretty sure he's getting better being serious."

"AAAHHH!" Ash was flailing about, quickly getting himself together, his companion hopping right into his shoulder, his mouth suspiciously red. Ash didn't have time to focus on that, however, he had a tournament to get to. As he rushed out the door that led out into the arena, Brock, Paul, Lillie, and Bonnie got up as well, and walked out with him, being greeted by the cheers of the Alolan region.

* * *

And that's precisely the situation that the traitors found themselves looking at; as Lillie, Paul, Bonnie, and Brock walked out onto the stadium, greeted by the cheers of the Alolan natives, adoration ringing clearly in their voices. Alolan natives weren't the only ones there in the seats of the stadium, however, people from all kinds of regions were there as well, bearing confused and bewildered looks, much like the traitors.

However, nothing was willing to dwell on these confused looks, especially not the people of Alola, as the announcer in the stadium quickly made sure to properly introduce the adored trainers walking out onto the arena.

"Welcoming us all into the very first run of Tournament of the Stars, a tournament held none other than by our champion himself to honor the deities of the region, please let out a loud cheer for our Elite 4!" He boomed, hollering into his microphone from his booth high up in the stands.

"Professor Oak, what's going on?!" Max cried out, frustrated and confused at the same time, pointing towards the 4 trainers that had currently gathered out on the arena. "How are those guys even here, let alone Elite 4?!"

"Hold on Max, and take a breather!" Misty said, curiosity mainly in her voice as she looked out into the stadium, feeling something at seeing her old traveling companion. "It's not like he's going to be able to tell you, is he?"

"No, Misty, the boy is right for being like this." Professor Oak let out as he looked angrily down at the 4 trainers gathered, before continuing in a lower voice. "After what I did, they shouldn't have been able to even be trainers any more..."

"What you did?" Misty quickly questioned, but the redhead was silenced by her boyfriend, Gary responding before she could get an answer.

"You're definitely right about that, Gramps." He said, his eyes fixated on the 4, his ears drowning out the cheers of the audience. "How do you think they were able to become Elite 4 then?"

"I don't know..." Professor Oak said, grimacing, his mind wondering if Ash was anywhere nearby. "But let's be quiet for now, we wouldn't want to cause a scene, would we? The entire region seems to love those 4... even though that shouldn't be possible..."

The other traitors decided to heed the professor's words and kept their mouths quiet, unable to draw their eyes away from the people they once knew. Gary, like his grandpa, was infuriated at the fact that these people could even become Elite 4, let alone even still be trainers after what his grandfather had done. Misty was still confused, apparently not knowing what Professor Oak had done, but couldn't help but feel a kind of sadness when looking at Brock. Tracy really couldn't care less, although the sketcher DID notice how attractive Bonnie had become.

Max had a similar reaction to Gary, huffing as he turned his face away, attempting to look anywhere but at the traitors. May had broken away from making out with her boyfriend to gaze at the people she once called friends, only for her to single out Lillie as that girl they met back at the fountain, a rage building inside of her. Drew, a bit upset that May had chosen to stop, couldn't help but be irritated, not really caring about the 4.

Trip couldn't help but scoff at the fact that these 4 had become Elite. He was still obviously better than them, wasn't he? Iris simply stared at the arena in disbelief, Axew still rustling about in her hair, shocked at the fact that those 4, mainly Dawn, Brock, and Paul, could even become the Elite 4 of this region. Cilan was about to speak up, attempting to make another one of his conessiour speeches, but one look from Gary shut him up real quick. Meanwhile, Clemont could hardly believe, after so long, he had finally found his sister. Gripping his hands onto his chair, he silently vowed to bring her back home.

While all this was happening, the announcer took it upon himself to continue, announcing each of the Elite 4 individually with gusto.

"First, let's welcome the first and youngest of our Elite 4, Bonnie Volt!" He belted out, hollering into his microphone as Bonnie playfully twirled about, subtly flashing off a Mega Ring, her Dedenne and Squishy tucked in a white satchel. "Although she may be the first Elite 4 you'll face, her Dragon and Fairy types are nothing to play around with!"

As if on cue, Bonnie tossed a Pokéball into the air with enthusiasm, causing it to open with a loud pop. In a white flash, out came a wisened Drampa, letting out a loud cry as Bonnie nuzzled its head in her hands, giggling with glee as Drampa licked her in return. The crowd went wild, showing their appreciation for one of their elite trainers, as Bonnie walked off with Drampa, going towards a stage, decorated in orange and purple, and standing on the front right corner. But before she made it there, the traitors could've sworn that she had shot them a look meant to kill.

"Next up, welcome the next of our talented Elites, Lillie Aether!" The announcer continued after Bonnie and Drampa were both on the stage, as Lillie shyly smiled and waved at the crowd, her Keystone glinting from the ponytail holding up her blonde hair. "Coming from a family of two accomplished scientists, Lillie and her Ice and Fire types simply don't disappoint!"

Like Bonnie did before her, Lillie tossed a Pokéball into the air, albeit in a bit more reserved manner. With a loud pop and a white flash, Lillie's Alolan Ninetales soon appeared right beside her, quickly nuzzling close to her trainer. Giggling as her Pokemon tickled her, Lillie and Ninetales bowed, turning to go stand at the front left corner of the stage, but not before sending an icy glare up at the traitors, specifically Max. Of course, it only lasted a second, but the traitors couldn't help but shiver at the instant change in her demeanor.

"Next in our line of Elite 4, please give a large greeting for our very own Brock Stone!" As the announcer went on. announcing Brock's name, Brock couldn't help but shoot a charming grin into the audience, a Keystone shining subtly from a pin on his green vest. "In addition to being our specialist in Rock and Water types, Brock is also a well-renowned doctor and happily married to our Grand Kahuna of Akala Island Olivia!'

The Nurse Joys in the crowd cheered loudly, a sight that probably would never have happened back when Brock was still traveling with Ash. Still, Brock gave a rather manly thumbs up and a smirk directed right towards his wife, who was watching in a skybox with all of Ash's other friends. After seeing her enthusiastic grin, he walked onto the stage as well, standing in the far left corner, releasing his Steelix beside him.

"Finishing up, let's give a big hand for our last, but not least, member of the Elite 4, Paul Shinji, our champion's driven rival! His Electric and Dark-type Pokémon are certain to give anyone a run for their money, including our dear Champion!" The announcer cried, his voice more than making up for the obvious lack of enthusiasm Paul was showing at his name being called, the purple-haired trainer giving a small huff as the audience went wild for him.

Not entirely dismissing the chance to show off, however, he tossed a Pokéball into the air, allowing his Electivire to come out, the fuzzy yellow Pokémon giving him a big hug with his two tails once he came out. The crowd went wild again, showing their appreciation for Paul and his companion, despite Paul's obvious displeasure at being hugged. Shoving his Pokémon off of him in an almost comical manner, Paul moved towards the far right corner of the stage, but not before sending a steely glance at the traitors, who definitely recognized him.

This left all four of the Alolan Elite 4 standing together on the stage, their Pokémon enjoying the attention they were receiving. Still, one person was missing, and almost everyone knew it. Brock, Paul, Lillie, and Bonnie all knowingly looked towards the entrance they had come out of, white and blue smoke being spewed as a silhouette began to become visible through the smoke, with what seemed to be a Pokémon on his shoulder. The crowd fell silent, as the sound of footsteps was all that could be heard throughout the arena.

"N-No..." Professor Oak whispered loudly, startling the other traitors around him. "It couldn't possibly be him..."

"Couldn't it?" The aged professor turned around to look at the person who had said that, as did the other traitors, only to be faced with Gladion, standing in the aisle just right of their seats. The Aether Foundation heir noticed that their expressions ranged from anger to bewilderment, but he brushed that aside, focusing his next words at Professor Oak.

"Give a large hand for our Champion, the savior of the region, and arguably one of the strongest trainers in the world, please welcome him as loud as you can..." The announcer said, his words cutting through the silence, his words like the calm just before a storm. The Elite 4 couldn't stop smiles from spreading across his face,

"Our Champion is a strong man." Gladion continued from up in the stands, turning away to look at the arena, the silhouette becoming more and more clear, the other traitors' eyes widening in shock as they realized just who the Alolan Champion was. "He's been through a hell of a time, and he'd be damned if he simply let what you've done stop him from achieving his dream. In fact, you only added a tank of fuel to his fire."

"Wait, you can't possibly mean that your Champion is...?" Misty began, her green eyes widened as she forced herself to turn away from the arena to look at Gladion, although the blonde simply refused to turn to her as well.

"I'd suggest you all stop questioning what you already know to be true," Gladion said ominously before allowing himself to smirk, the expression spreading across his face. "That time would be better spent on thinking about how you'll dig yourselves out of the 5-year hole you've put yourselves in. Because our Champion, the Champion of Alola is none other than..."

"Ash Ketchum!" Once both Gladion and the announcer said that name, said trainer emerged from the smoke, an enthusiastic grin on his face as Pikachu rested contentedly on his head, laying on the hat his mother left him. And then the entire arena, foreigners and natives alike, went wild.

* * *

 **Well, thanks for reading this, and I DO apologize about not getting this out sooner! But it really be like that sometimes, and school's definitely catching up with me. Still, tell me what you thought about this chapter, and be sure to also let me know who you want Ash to end up with, as I've kinda narrowed the choice down to either Dawn or Lillie! I'm starting to open up to a harem (maybe, still not entirely sold), so there's that. Wrapping this up, I hope you enjoyed, and have a Happy New Year's!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth Comes Out

**Well, I left off on a pretty cool note last time, at least in my opinion, I guess ;) Anyway, I'm still taking your shipping advice into account, as well as your comments on the plot itself! By the way, I'd like to thank Temporal King for giving me some solid advice for the story itself, which is what I really like to see you guys comment about. But anyway, let's get on with the story!**

* * *

"All right!" Ash let out, allowing a childlike grin to come over his face as he waved to the audience, absorbing their enthusiasm, it only serving to further his own. He'd be hardpressed to deny the excitement that still came over him at the idea of partaking in a tournament this big, no matter how much one could say he had matured.

To add to that, he'd come to consider the Alolan region his own, it's people his people, and seeing their support for him only made him more sure in what was about to come. However, as Ash walked to the center of the arena, he began to pick up a sound underlying the cheering. Barely noticeable at first, first a pathetic boo, it became louder and louder, and soon nearly half the stadium was sounding their disdain of the new Alolan Champion, hissing and jeering at the raven-haired trainer.

"Get out of the ring, abuser!" One spectator jeered, giving the Champion the middle finger beside his family, his wife and children seemingly not caring about the obscene gesture, their thoughts most likely aligned with his.

"A guy who gets his own mother killed doesn't deserve to be Champion!" Another yelled, throwing his soda as far as he could into the stadium, probably aiming for the center, although it barely reached past the last row of seats.

"Isn't that the guy that liked to hurt his Pokémon?" A young Kalosian girl asked, not much older than 6, pointing at Ash while looking up at her mother, who herself bore a look of disdain towards the Alolan Champion.

"How can you call yourself a champion, much less a trainer after what you've done?!" Yet another man cried out, genuine outrage pouring from his voice and words, having completely fallen for the lies of Professor Oak.

"No wonder this region's reputation so weak and pathetic, it has you for a Champion!" Gary yelled out, getting up out of his seat to do so, much to the astonishment of his fellow traitors, perhaps the loudest of all. The others didn't necessarily disagree with Gary's outburst, but they currently wanted to keep as much of a low profile as possible.

"Gary, get down!" Misty hissed, the redhead beginning to drag her boyfriend back down into his seat alongside Tracy, wrapping her body around his arm in an attempt to get him back into his seat. "Read the situation for once, damn it!"

"Read the situation?!" Gary cried out louder than needed, causing a bigger commotion than any of the others had wanted. The brown-haired researcher continued on an outraged rant, mainly directing his words towards his girlfriend, who wanted nothing more than to lose that title at the moment. "How about YOU read the message my hand is gonna sent upside your-"

As soon as those words left Gary's mouth, his girlfriend acted instantly. With nothing but a flash of movement, Gary was knocked _hard_ onto his seat, with nothing but a dented seat and the red imprint of a clenched fist on his cheek signaling that he was struck at all. Misty then sat down with a huff, looking anywhere but in Gary's direction. The others were somewhat surprised, Misty and Gary had shared a fairly decent relationship so far after all, but they chose to focus on other things.

Gladion could only let out a small chuckle to himself as he witnessed this little conflict unfold, causing Professor Oak to whirl in his seat, turning to glare at him. "Are you seriously going to fall apart this quickly? At least leave something for Ash to do, otherwise there'd be no point in bringing you here, now would there?"

Professor Oak opened his mouth to say something, attempting to at least regain control of the situation, but immediately thought against it. There would be no regaining the situation now after Ash had revealed himself. Instead, Oak began to think of ways he could get out of this and contemplated what Gladion had just said about bringing him and the others here.

Seeing the old man receding into his thoughts, Gladion frowned, choosing to look out into the stadium once more, watching his friend walk on despite all the boos and jeers. Still, Gladion supposed, at least the people of Alola were standing by their Champion.

"Ash..." Lillie couldn't help but murmur to herself, clasping her hands together as she gazed on with worried eyes at her raven-haired friend, who was still on his way to the platform, his eyes covered by the shade of his hat. She cared for him, perhaps more than she herself knew, and could only feel unease as she looked at him bare the insults and outrage sent his way. "This is just horrible..."

Brock could only grimace in disgust, as foreigners from all over the world voiced their disdain towards the Alolan Champion, his best friend, his very first traveling companion. Over the years, he and Ash had continued to travel together and had only grown closer as friends and battle partners. He'd even come to consider Ash as a younger brother, and Ash had reciprocated that feeling, making it hurt all the more to see him suffer like this. He could only shoot a glance at the traitors, hoping they were proud of what they had done to Ash. It would only make it all the better when Ash would bring them down to size.

"Dammnit..." Paul growled, clenching his fists tightly, Electivire looking at him in concern. Red was all that Paul could see right now, the color literally pumping through his vision. Even if he and Ash argued most of the time, the years they had spent together still made them friends, without a doubt. Having to simply watch this happen to a friend of his was far from being something that Paul was okay with. Noticing his fingers were beginning to dig into his skin, Paul relaxed a bit, looking at Electivire to let the Pokémon know that he was alright. And he would be even more so once those traitors were taken down.

Bonnie was furious, all these people had no idea who the real Ash was, they were simply going by the lies that Professor Oak had spread. It was all that she could do to simply bite her lip, otherwise, she would've flung some choice insults into the crowd, preferably ones that Paul that taught her for special occasions. Drampa nudged against her, the wisened dragon giving her a look. Bonnie got the message alright; "They'll get what's coming in due time." Bonnie took a deep breath and smiled, showing Drampa that she had gotten the message. Still, she was less concerned for Ash himself, as she was confident that he would come out at the top by the end of the day.

Ash simply kept walking through the stadium, however, raising his hand for silence once he got to the center of the stage. Whether the people watching approved of him or not, everyone in the stadium fell silent. But not because of Ash himself, although that was most likely the case for the residents of Alola. It was because Lance, the champion of Alola himself, had stood up, raising his own hand for silence. Stunned, everyone in the arena against Ash was shocked into silence, as the Johto Champion nodded for Ash to begin speaking.

Ash himself couldn't help but feel the slightest bit embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, seeing how effectively the Champion of Johto was able to silence the entire stadium. Still, with a quick glance to Pikachu, who was grinning at him from his shoulder, Ash gathered himself and began to speak.

"Well, first I gotta say thanks to Lance for doing that," The raven-haired trainer began with a smile, his voice being amplified by a microphone hidden in his jacket. "Probably would've had to listen to your grievances all afternoon if he hadn't." That brought a few chuckles from the Alolan residents in the audience, but the glares of the ones against him only intensified. Still, Ash continued, getting ready to spill the truth he had wanted to do so for the past 5 years.

"So before I allow the Tournament of the Stars to begin, I know that most of you in this stadium are probably shocked to see me in the position of a Champion, much less me period." Ash continued, glancing up at the Champions' skybox, where many of the Champions were looking at him in disbelief. He had made Lance and Mr. Goodshow keep his secret from everyone, and that included the other Champions.

"After the world-wide broadcast delivered by Professor Oak 5 years ago, I guess I can't blame you. According to him; I've abused my Pokémon, attacked my friends when confronted about it, inadvertently killed my mother when doing so, and mind-controlled my Pokémon. Countless other rumors have been spread about me, I'm sure, some of them entirely absurd. On top of that, my trainer's license has been revoked in all regions that chose to do so 5 years ago, Alola being one of the few exceptions. So if that all was true, I'd let you go right ahead and boo me off the stage right now."

Gaining some semblance of courage, Gary got up and cast an accusing finger towards Ash, drawing a PokéBall from his waist. "All of that is true! So let's all take that bastard out right now! He doesn't deserve to be Champion, much less a trainer!" Some foreigners began to raise their voices as well, although not standing up with Gary. Still, the half of the crowd that was against Ash initially began to shout out some boos and jeers again. Grinning, Gary was sure that he had begun to win over the crowd again until Ash spoke up once more.

"Of course, I said **_if_** that was true," The Alolan Champion corrected, silencing the crowd yet again. "Although I don't expect those that are against me to accept this now, all the things that I have been accused of being are false, all fabricated lies by Professor Oak."

That set the stadium into an uproar, the ones who believed the lies of the traitors going back to hurling insults at the Champion yet again, and the people of Alola verbally defending their Champion against those that would call out against him. The traitors could hardly believe what was happening before their eyes, the story they had fabricated all those years ago was coming apart, and now many of them began to fear the worst.

Up in the gym leaders' area, arguing had begun to erupt. There were those that still believed Professor Oak's lies, intent on removing Ash from his position and then there were those who remembered the spunky kid that had challenged them all those years ago and were willing to give him a chance to explain himself properly. Yet, up in the Champion's skybox, Lance got up, once again calling for silence.

"As the regional Champion of Johto, and the former Champion of Kanto, I myself can attest to the fact that this young man is telling the truth," Lance stated, much to the astonishment and relief of everyone in the stadium. It was here that Professor Oak began to panic internally; if Lance himself was testifying to Ash's innocence, there was no way to dig himself out of this now. "Once Ash became this region's Champion, it was only a matter of time before I found out. Acting quickly and covertly, I investigated him. After using specifically trained Psychic-type Pokemon to verify the story he told to me, as well as conducting an extensive evaluation of all the Pokemon under Ash's care, both physically and mentally, as well as the mental state of Ash's friends I can conclude that the accusations against Ash are indeed false. For the murder of Delia Ketchum, the destruction of the Ketchum's house, and the defamation of Champion Ash, legal actions will be taken."

"But," Ash interjected, drawing the crowd's attention back to him. "Since I am the Champion of this region, all legal actions taken in this region are ultimately left to me. The people who spread these lies about me, my _friends_ , can now expect to face legal charges. Misty Waterflower, Gary Oak, Tracy Sketchit, May Maple, Max Maple, Drew Thornrose, Trip Shoot, Iris Dragonheart, Cilan Dent, Clemont Volt, and of course, Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak, you are now all officially faced with legal charges on behalf of the Pokémon League of Alola."

The entire stadium went into an uproar, again, but this time of a different manner. Sighs of relief, shouts of joy, and cries of confusion rang throughout the stadium; the world now informed of Ash's innocence. Yet, there was one group of people who were anything but relieved. Ash's former friends, the ones who betrayed him, were now receiving looks from people all around, now realizing the crimes that they committed. The truth was out, and there was nothing that they could do about it.

"Gramps, what are we gonna do?!" Gary nearly screamed, his usual bravado gone as he proceeded to freak out.

"Nothing, you dolt!" Misty said in place of the professor, resisting the urge to smack her boyfriend. She poked him in his chest, her nerves frayed as well. "Didn't you hear? Lance is on his side! We're screwed!"

"Aw, man!" Tracey whined, having not paid any attention to Ash's and Lance's words, choosing to draw Bonnie in a rather suggestive pose on his paper. "I tore a hole in my sketch!"

"That damn Ash!" May growled, clenching her fists tightly as she stared out into the crowd. "I'll get him for this!"

"Yeah, once I send out Gallade, that weakling will be through!" Max said, beginning to reach for his PokéBall.

"No, you idiot!" Drew said, smacking Max's hand down, his nerves shot from hearing Lance's announcement. "You wanna tangle with the rest of the Champions?"

Trip simply smacked Drew's hand away in turn, smirking, the events unfolding right in front of him doing nothing to faze him. "So what? Bring them on, any day of the week. Serperior and I can take 'em on."

"But that's Lance!" Iris wailed, Axew shifting nervously in her hair. "Master of all Dragons, Johto Champion, and coolest Dragon Master ever! And he's against us!"

"The sour mix of a tainted truth, the palate-cleansing taste of a lie come forth, this serves to be a very bitt-" "SHUT UP ALREADY!" Everyone yelled, cutting off Cilan before he could even finish.

Meanwhile, up where the Gym Leaders sat, Clemont could only look down at the ground as the countless Gym Leaders stared at him, some in anger and others in sheer disbelief. He attempted to shrink into his seat, but that did nothing to stop the unwanted attention he was currently getting.

As for Professor Oak, he could hardly believe that this was happening. He could see it now; his entire career, everything that he had built up over his life, his name that had once been renowned across the entire world, it would all be worth as much as dirt. His body trembling, he stole a glance at Gladion, who could only smirk back at him.

"However," Ash continued once again, allowing a cocky smile on his face. "I did invite everyone to this tournament, so it'd be a shame if everyone couldn't enjoy it the way I had wanted. We have amassed an even number of 128 people here, and it'd be an inconvenience to redo matchups. So, to the people that I just listed, with the exception of Samuel Oak, you may continue with the tournament, with a little offer I've thought up. Make it to the final 8, and I'll let you walk free. Lose before then? You can be sure that you will be hit by the full force of Alolan law."

"Hear that, old man?" Gladion said tauntingly, much to Oak's chagrin. "Looks like your time is coming early."

"N-No..." Professor Oak stuttered out, rising up out of his seat, the ones he had gathered to start all this doing nothing to help him. He was on his own now, the other traitors knowing that if they made the wrong move, they could very well be arrested, just like the professor. "T-This can't be happening!"

"Oh, but it can, Professor Oak," Ash called from down in the arena. "As of now, I'm pressing you with full charges, immediately. You'll be arrested, right here, right now and put into holding until the tournament is over. I still ask what could've possessed you to betray me the way you did, but after 5 years, I guess it doesn't matter." Ash paused, turning to look at his friends, all bearing looks of support on their faces, from a simple thumbs up from Brock, to an ecstatic grin from Bonnie. "I've got new friends, and a new life. One that you'll never be able to take away. Gladion?"

"Gladly!" The blonde-haired trainer responded, when suddenly Oak made a break for it, beginning to flee. Gritting his teeth, Gladion swiftly tackled the old man to the floor, Alola's police force swarming around the two almost immediately, swarming through the tournament's entrances. Ash had certainly been prepared for this, but that was the last thing on Oak's mind right now. As Oak felt the cuffs tighten around his wrists, he could practically imagine his name was all but dirt now. The once-great Pokémon Professor was no more.

Forcing the old man to get up, the numerous Officer Jennies walked him out of the stadium, much to the surprise of everyone still there. With the exception from Lance and Ash's friends watching from the skybox, nearly everyone could hardly wrap their heads around the fact that Professor Oak had singlehandedly ruined the future of a promising young man, for a reason that was still unknown. The reality of the situation began to settle in, not only for the people spectating, but for Ash as well. For the pain he endured all those years ago, for the death of his mother, he was finally going to make it all right.

Taking a deep breath, Ash continued, feeling a large weight dissipate from his shoulders. Feeling the eyes of the stadium on him once again, he looked up, finally ready to get the real tournament started. "All right then, everyone, how about we get things started with a good ol' one on one exhibition match! As for the volunteer, how about Lance himself? I've sure been relying on him a whole lot for the past 5 years, how about I reward him with a battle?" Even after all this, Ash couldn't stop the smile coming onto his face at the thought of a battle.

Bonnie, Brock, Lillie, and Paul all smiled as well, happy that their Ash was still the same. They went off towards the sidelines, as Ash moved to one side of the battlefield. Moving to his side, Ash extended his arm towards the filed, Pikachu leaping off of it and landing firmly on the ground, ready to battle.

"How about it, Lance?" Ash called up enthusiastically, taking his mind off of the traitor situation for now. "You're not chicken, are you?"

Lance, still somewhat surprised that he'd be battling in public when he hadn't in a long time, simply smiled at Ash's taunt and released his Dragonite from its PokéBall, letting the orange psuedo-legendary carry him to his side of the field. Landing with ease, the Johto Champion extended his hands toward Ash in a similar manner, Dragonite coming down onto the field with a _CRASH!,_ staring down Pikachu.

"Well then, Ash, shall we get started?" Lance said, smirking. "I assume you're using Pikachu?"

"You betcha!" Ash said, signaling a referee to come over. "The ref's gonna count down for us, okay?"

"Fine by me," Lance said, as the referee began counting. "But you should know I won't go easy on you!"

 _"3!"_

"Same here!" Ash said, rubbing his hand over his Mega Z-Ring. "I'm gonna give you all I've got!"

 _"2!"_

The crowd's anticipation only grew as the battle reached its beginning, excited at the prospect of two Champions battling at full strength. Ash couldn't lie, his was growing as well, it was hard not to get excited over fighting Lance himself. Looking at Pikachu, he smiled, glad that his buddy was here to experience it with him.

 _"1!"_

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Dragonite, let's go!"

 _"The battle between Alola Champion Ash and Johto Champion Lance will now begin!"_


	6. Not An Update

**Okay, I know this isn't a proper update, but while planning the chapters ahead (and believe me, I've got quite a bit planned, both for the betrayal situation and the overarching story) I've come across a recurring issue. The pairings of the story.**

 **As of now, I still haven't figured out who to pair Ash with, and it's kinda frustrating. So, as a request, I would like you to help me speed things along somewhat.**

 **On my profile, there is currently a poll for who you, as the readers, would like to see paired going forward. There are a few harem options, so if that's your style you can go right ahead and go with those.**

 **As for the next chapter, it is in the works, and is almost done. I don't wanna give away a lot, but you can expect to see some fun battles in the next chapter.**

 **Well, that's all for now, peace out.**


	7. Chapter 6: Champion vs Champion

**Hey guys, Mach here again with the next chapter of the Alolan Champion. Wasn't that long of a wait this time, I hope! If you're new, please go right ahead and follow/favorite this story! In addition, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review, just tell me what you think about the story, including your criticisms.**

 **Before you head on to the chapter, I'll let you now that I've made some edits to the previous chapter, tweaking them up a bit. Altered the list of Ash's, Dawn's, Brock's, and Serena's** **Pokémon in Chapter 2, so if that's something you've been paying attention to, my apologies. Added a bit more detail to the previous chapters as well, fleshing them out a bit.**

 **That's all, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"Pikachu, let's start off with Quick Attack!" Ash called out with a smile, getting into the feeling of battling for the first time in a while. Similarly excited, Pikachu let out a battle cry as his body began to glow, illuminated in a brilliant white light. With a start, Pikachu took off towards Lance's Dragonite, racing across the battlefield at an incredible speed.

Lance couldn't help but grin at the sight, thoroughly impressed by Pikachu's speed. And with a quick look at Dragonite, Lance could tell that his own Pokémon was impressed as well. Still, that just meant that Lance would have to give this battle his all, wouldn't he? "Dragonite, quickly! Strike it down with Thunder Punch!"

"Dra!" The orange pseudo-legendary cried, raising its right fist as it became coated in a thick coat of electricity. The power created by the electricity even reached up to the stands, everyone feeling the power of Lance's Dragonite. Still sitting among the traitors, Max couldn't help but scoff. _"There's no way that loser will be able to stand up to Dragonite's power. Heh, the Alola region's Elite 4 and Champion are nothing."_

"Keep going Pikachu!" Ash said, unfazed by Dragonite's strength, his smile still present on his face. This would be a good chance to test out his fellow Champion's speed, especially compared to his Pikachu. "If Dragonite wants to get us, he'll have to try a lot harder than that!"

"Strike when he gets close, Dragonite!" Lance said as the Electric-type sped towards his Pokémon. Dragonite's attack charged up, it braced itself, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Pikachu only kept going, however, dashing rapidly from side to side as he raced towards Dragonite. Everyone held their breath, as Pikachu closed the distance between the two in an instant, seemingly challenging Dragonite to strike.

"Now!" Lance called, causing Dragonite to strike, the pseudo legendary bringing down its fist on the electric mouse. It was timed extremely well, catching even Pikachu and Ash off guard, as expected of the Johto Champion. Dragonite struck hard, the impact creating a dust cloud that rose up and covered the battlefield, obscuring everyone's view. As the dust began to settle, no one could see Pikachu, only Dragonite was still visible, his fist still pressed against the ground. Confusion arose throughout the audience, especially the members of Alola.

"What? Could this be the end of the battle?" The announcer called from up in his stand, doing his best to see through the dust, much like everyone else. "Has Dragonite struck down Pikachu so early into the match?"

* * *

"Hmph, I knew it!" Max cried out triumphantly, as he turned to his friends. Seeing that display was all Max needed to shake himself out of the shock that Ash was still around and kicking. "There's no way that loser could ever become a Champion! Just as I thought, this region's filled with a bunch of washed-up rejects!"

"Yeah, look at how quickly that puny Pikachu stood up to a real Champion's power!" Gary shouted into the stadium, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Gary's exuberance annoying her further. Still, his bravado didn't hide the fact that his nerves were still pretty frayed over Ash's return, and Misty saw right through it.

"Take a hint, Gary!" Misty hissed, covering the mouth of her boyfriend, someone who she really didn't feel deserved that title as of now. At least the idiot didn't draw even more attention to them by standing up again. "You wanna get us into even more trouble?"

Iris smirked, her posture relaxing a bit after her previous shock. "Yeah, but man is it satisfying to see Ash and his puny Pokémon get pummeled into the ground like that! Guess that's a power of a Dragon for you?"

"Please," Trip said distastefully as he looked on the sight in disgust. He wasn't worried about Ash's little threat, he had no doubt that he and Serperior would be able to secure a spot in the final 8, much less win the whole competition. "If Ash'd lose that easily, there's no doubt Serperior and I could wipe the floor him, no matter what kind of new Pokémon he's got."

"Guys?" Tracey asked worriedly, the reality of his situation sinking in once he had taken his attention away from his sketch of a suggestive looking Bonnie. "Aren't we going to be thrown in prison?"

"Undoubtedly, unless the desperate flames of once fickle friends would be able to so righteously secure a highly coveted above all else spot in the final-" Cilan began to say, before May cut him off, the brunette breathing heavily in anger.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" She yelled, clutching the PokéBall that held her precious Blaziken, startling her green-haired Coordinator of a boyfriend. "If that bastard wants to play hardball then he'll get it! There's nothing that'll stop me from securing a spot in the final 8!"

"Heh he..." Drew let out, frightened by his enraged lover. He tried to regain his cool, however, although that was easier said than done given the circumstances. Pulling out a rose, and handing it to his girlfriend, he attempted to calm her down somewhat. "Given the fact that there's a battle section, a contest section, and numerous sets of a performance section, securing quarter-final spots shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Huh, guess one of you bastards has a brain after all," Gladion spoke up, alerting the traitors to his presence once again. "Still, you think your troubles would be over after you make it to the final 8?"

"You!" May screeched, getting out of her seat, Drew's rose forgotten as she took notice of Gladion. Drew and Cilan got up as well, attempting to hold May back. Gladion smirked, which only served to enrage May even more.

"What are you still doing here?" Misty questioned, her eyes narrow, but her voice surprisingly soft. Gladion's eyebrows raised, he was sure that the redhead would be nearly as mad as her brunette friend. Still, he regained his composure, making a mental note of this behavior. "Didn't you head out with Professor Oak and the Jennies?"

"Only to make sure that he would be given into the custody of the Aether Foundation," Gladion answered, taking a bit pleasure in seeing the shocked looks on the faces of the traitors. "Being charged with a crime as severe as the one he committed, a public jail cell would be far too little for him. Seeing as the Aether Foundation is in close relations with the Alolan Pokémon League, we offered to take hold of him when the time came. Plus, there are other reasons we take interest in Professor Samuel Oak."

"That's an abuse of power!" Max said incredulously, eyes widened in shock. "You can't take the law into your own hands!"

"Yeah, that's right!" May said, still seething but having calmed down somewhat. Drew and Cilan cautiously let go of her but didn't sit down just yet, still wary of May's temper. "Who do you think you are?"

"Gladion Aether, keep up will you?" Gladion snarked, causing May's face to turn red in embarrassment. "And isn't it rather hypocritical of you to accuse us of abusing our power when Oak has done the exact same thing?" Hearing no response, Gladion continued. "Regardless, unlike a Pokémon Professor, there isn't much difference between the authority of the Pokémon League of a region and it's police force. Deciding where Oak stays is well within Ash's rights, no matter what you have to say about it."

And with that, Gladion walked away, leaving the traitors in disarray. Absentmindedly, the blonde wiped some dirt off of his white hoodie, most likely from when he tackled Oak. Feeling done with the traitors, for now, Gladion made his way to the sky box, hoping to join the others to watch Ash's battle.

"After all," Gladion said to himself as he smirked, recalling how the traitors had thought Ash was beaten. "The battle's just getting started."

* * *

"Oh, my!" Olivia let out, bringing a hand to her mouth once the dust had risen and obscured everything. "This Johto Champion sure is something, huh?" She said, squinting her eyes in an attempt to see Pikachu's state.

"Aw man, if Ash loses I'm gonna fine him for all he's worth!" Barry cried out, waving his hands frantically in the air. Serena began to attempt to calm him down, much to everyone else's amusement.

"Don't worry, Barry, you've seen Ash's and Pikachu's strength for yourself, haven't you?" The honey blonde tried, as her Delphox began giggling at her from a corner of the room. Serena couldn't help but pout back at Delphox before turning her attention back to Barry. It didn't help that Paul and Gladion were so much better than her at calming the blonde down.

"And that's exactly why he can't lose or I'm fining him!" Barry retorted, completely disregarding Serena's point. Shocked at Barry's "logic", Serena couldn't let out much more than a stammer, sweat dropping.

"Ash'll win, ya know?" Hau said, stepping in between Barry and Serena. His ever-present smile put the both of them at ease, the darker-skinned boy placing a hand on Barry's shoulder. "The guy's worked about 5 years for this, there's no way he'd slip now!"

"Hmmm..." Barry said, placing one hand on his chin, thinking on what Hau had just said. Just when Serena thought that Barry would refute Hau's point as he had done to hers, Barry gave Hau a quick nod, a smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah! No way Ash'll lose!"

"Thanks, Hau," Serena whispered gratefully, relieved that Barry that stopped panicking. She knew that both of them cared for Ash in their own ways, even if those ways were nearly completely different from each other. "I owe you one!"

"Hmm, then how about you bake me some of your malasadas as thanks?" Hau suggested, his mouth beginning to water at the thought of having Serena's cooking. "I just can't get enough of those!"

"Well, it's thanks to you and your love of them that I got the idea to try making them myself to impress Ash!" Serena admitted, recalling how smitten with Ash she was during their journey in the Alola region, a smile on her face as she remembered how much fun she had with Ash, Brock, and Dawn. "Too bad he didn't like them very much..." The honey blonde lamented, her smile dropping somewhat.

"But that just means more for me, right?" Hau asked, clasping his hands together in a begging fashion, giving Serena his best puppy dog eyed look. "Please tell me you'll make some!"

"Of course, Hau," Serena said, bringing a hand to her mouth as she giggled at the boy's antics. "Anything for my favorite Grand Kahuna! I'll have them ready for you by the end of the day!"

"Aw yeah!" Hau exclaimed, jumping up and down, his body charged with excitement.

"That Dragonite sure is powerful, isn't it? And its strike was so fast too!" Sawyer mused beside Dawn, the green-haired trainer jotting some notes on the Johto Champion's Pokémon in his notebook. His Sceptile peered into the book, frowning once he saw Sawyer's observations on its speed. Noticing his Pokémon's discomfort at his notes, Sawyer gave his Sceptile a pat on its head, giving him a reassuring smile. "You're plenty fast enough for me! Uh, don't you think so too, Dawn?"

Dawn gave Sawyer and Sceptile a smile, nodding, bailing Steven's apprentice out. "Of course! Trust me when I say this, Sceptile, you've got no reason to worry!"

Seeing Saywer's Sceptile calm down somewhat after hearing her words, Dawn smiled to herself as she listened to the two reconcile. Her eyes were focused on the battlefield below, however, mainly on the object of her affections. Ash Ketchum. It had been a while since she had seen him battle, but her heart was racing from excitement, not anxiety.

He _was_ the Champion of the Alola region, of course, and for good reason. Since the incident 5 years ago, he had been forced to mature both as a trainer and as a person, and while he still kept some of his childish qualities, he was a far cry from the 13-year-old he was back then. Even so, he was still her Ash, determined as ever to reach his goals; even if they had shifted somewhat. It gave Dawn a huge relief to know that there was no need to worry about that.

 _"Still,"_ Dawn noted in her head, a light blush on her cheeks as she gazed out at the battlefield. _"He hasn't just matured through being a trainer..."_ Her mind couldn't help drifting to how attractive he looked now; his lean muscled body showing under his outfit, his perfectly tanned body, his messy raven black hair framing his boyish face, just thinking about it had Dawn red in the face. And that was before she got to his a-

"So, you all enjoying the battle?" Dawn's thoughts were interrupted by a new voice entering the room, Gladion waltzing through the door in his usual manner. Everyone turned to look at him, Serena most noticeably. Noticing the warmth in her cheeks in that second, Dawn fanned herself frantically, hoping no one had noticed her. Thankfully for the Coordinator, the only one close enough to do so was busy taking notes on the Johto Champion's Dragonite.

"Well, we _definitely_ enjoyed seeing you tackle Professor Oak to the ground," Serena responded to Gladion, drawing Dawn's attention back to her friends, the Performer's honey-blonde hair bouncing as she made her way over to Gladion. She attempted to wrap the blonde in a hug, only for him to back up, much to her disappointment. "Well? Must've been fun, huh?"

Gladion allowed a smirk on his face as he recalled the moment, giving Serena a small nod. "Well, it was definitely satisfying. But for now, let's focus on Ash's battle." The blonde walked up and took a seat next to Dawn, leading to Serena sitting on his other side. Her eyes turning back to the battlefield, Dawn noticed the dust had nearly settled, and Dawn couldn't help but let a smile form on her face at the sight.

"Heh, can't believe anyone could've thought it was over that quickly," Serena chirped, tilting her head against Gladion's shoulder, the blonde seemingly okay with this action much to her delight.

"Agreed," Dawn said, excited to see how Ash would continue this. "After all, when it comes to Ash, there's no need to worry!"

* * *

"I knew Pikachu wasn't down yet!" Bonnie cheered, Dedenne bouncing up and down with her. Her Drampa could only look at her and Dedenne with worn down patience, although the Dragon-type could understand their excitement. Bonnie quickly tuned to Paul, pointing a petite finger at his chin. "Told you!"

"I never denied it..." Paul let out, resisting the urge to swat the younger girl's finger away. Her energy was even worse now that she was 13; if that was even possible. She was taller, cockier, AND she had the strength of her Pokémon to back it all up. Truly, Arceus had created a worse monster than Ash. He tried to turn his eyes away from her and to the battlefield, where the current state of the battle was pretty clear.

"Well, you didn't say I was right either!" Bonnie huffed, narrowing her eyes at Paul. Dedenne mimicked her actions as well, much to Paul's chagrin. "You just glared at me like you usually do!"

"Hey now guys," Brock started, holding out his hands in a pacifying manner. "I think we can all agree that everyone here believes in Ash's abilities. Otherwise, we wouldn't be his Elite 4, now would we? Bonnie, Paul?"

The two in question gave either a glare and turned away from each other, like two children bickering. Brock couldn't help but let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand. "Geez you two, you're Elite 4 for Pete's sake. Can you please stop acting like children for one day?" Getting no response, Brock turned his attention to Lillie, noticing her eyes focused on the battle happening right in front of her. "Something on your mind Lillie?"

"Oh!" Lillie let out, apparently having been wrapped up in her thoughts. Her hands had been clasped together against her chest, having been removed from their position when Brock had startled her somewhat. Giving Brock a sheepish smile, Lillie responded. "W-Well, I'm just focusing on the battle, you know?"

Brock gave her an understanding smile, her gestures told it all. "Worried about Ash, huh?"

The blonde hesitantly nodded, busying her hands by rubbing her Ninetales's fur. "Y-Yeah... I know he's worked so hard for this chance to get back at those horrible people, but I can't help worrying about him..."

"I get how you feel," Brock admitted, giving Lillie a nod as he turned his focus to the battlefield. "When he was being mocked by everyone earlier, it took everything in my body to not send Steelix at the crowd right there and then. But this is the way Ash wants to do things, so I'm gonna stand by him, no matter what."

"He's been lucky to have you by his side, Brock..." Lillie said, feeling her heart warm at Brock's words, before perking up and giving her fellow Elite a determined nod. "And now he's got me and Gladion with him as well! We'll- I'll stand by Ash all the way!"

"Heh, glad to hear," Brock said with a smile, putting a hand on Lillie's head, ruffling her hair. "Now let's watch the battle, okay?"

Lillie nodded, allowing her Ninetales to lick her face gently as she turned her head back to the battlefield, the dust from Pikachu and Dragonite's clash finally settling, revealing the results.

The crowd certainly went wild over the sight, Pikachu having used Iron Tail at the last second to block Dragonite's punch. The electric mouse was currently pressed against the ground, however, the orange pseudo-legendary looming over him, its Thunder Punch still pressing down against the Iron Tail. Regardless of their opinions on Ash, many in the crowd began to get excited, raring for an interesting battle.

Lance widened his eyes in surprise, but couldn't help a smile. "So, Pikachu was fast enough to use Iron Tail, huh?" He observed Pikachu's disadvantageous position before continuing. "Unfortunately, it seems that you won't be able to continue for much longer, Ash."

"Heh, we're just getting started!" Ash replied with a smirk. "Pikachu! Use the force of your tail to spring yourself out of there!"

"Don't let him get away, Dragonite!" Lance called, wary of Ash's plan.

Pikachu nodded, giving his opponent a smirk before releasing his move, allowing Dragonite's Thunder Punch to come down. The crowd let out a collective gasp, but Pikachu quickly repositioned himself, the force of the move releasing pushing him back somewhat, taking a step back from Dragonite, the Thunder Punch crashing into the ground. In response, Dragonite quickly readied another Thunder Punch, aiming at Pikachu once more.

"Quick Attack, Pikachu, go under him!" Ash let out with a wave of his arm.

With a nod, Pikachu's body began to glow with a brilliant white light. Dragonite brought its fist down once more, but Pikachu was gone in an instant, disappearing in a flash. Confused, Dragonite halted its attack, looking around for Pikachu.

"Now, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash said triumphantly, pleased his gambit had paid off.

"Dragonite, behind you! Use Thunder Punch to intercept!" Lance called, able to see Pikachu's position on the battlefield.

Letting out a roar, Dragonite whirled around and spotted Pikachu on the other side of the battlefield, the yellow mouse smirking all the same. Strengthening its Thunder Punch from earlier, Dragonite took flight and charged at Pikachu, zooming across the battlefield. Electricity sparking across his body, Pikachu let out a cry as he unleashed a large blast of lightning, aiming it at the Dragon and Flying-type. The crowd was surprised at the size of it, especially the traitors, and definitely surprised that such an attack could come from such a small Pokémon.

"What an attack!" Lance let out, surprised as well. "Still, I should not expect much else from one who holds the title of Pokémon League Champion... Dragonite, now! Intercept it with Thunder Punch!"

Pushing his fist forward, Dragonite's Thunder Punch came into contact with Pikachu's Thunderbolt, the strength of the move causing Dragonite to plant its feet on the ground to stand against it. Pikachu didn't let up, however, continuing to let loose his electricity. The two attacks clashed once more, both Pokémon holding their ground, their power felt throughout the entire field.

The audience watched with bated breath, neither Pokémon giving an inch in this struggle. "UNBELIEVABLE!" The announcer cried into his microphone from up in his stand. "Champion Ash's Pikachu is standing toe to toe with Champion Lance's Dragonite! Simply INCREDIBLE!" Ash smiled sheepishly at the title the announcer had used; even after 3 years, he would never get being called Champion.

Suddenly, however, Dragonite let out a grimace, the pseudo-legendary beginning to be pushed back. Lance widened his eyes, a small frown on his face. "What? Dragonite can't be letting up!" Almost a split second later, Lance realized what was going on. Dragonite's Thunder Punch was letting up, while Pikachu's Thunderbolt was still going. Lance could only admire the stamina of Ash's Pikachu, yet he wasn't about to lose here. "Dragonite, now! Take to the air!"

Letting out a roar, Dragonite flew higher, leaving Pikachu's Thunderbolt to raze the spot where it once stood. Taking quick action, Lance called out to Dragonite with a wave of his hand. "Now, Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!" Opening its mouth wide, purple energy began to build up, Dragonite releasing it as a devastating beam of energy.

"Pikachu, dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ash responded quickly, his partner responding almost immediately. Body shining with white light, Pikachu moved as fast as he could, avoiding Dragonite's attack. He couldn't escape its impact, however, as once the beam hit the battlefield the ground became torn apart, creating an impact that threw the electric mouse off balance.

Sent sprawling onto the ground, Pikachu managed to regain his balance, just before he flew into a wall, stopping right in front of Ash. Ash let out a relieved sigh, then prepared to put another of his plans into action. "Now Pikachu, Iron Tail on that debris! Catch up to Dragonite!"

Shocked, Lance could only watch as the Electric-type quickly ran towards the debris, its tail taking on harsh, gray, and metallic characteristics before it was used to strike at the debris. Springing upward, Pikachu continued to strike the chunks of the battlefield, quickly gaining distance on the pseudo-legendary. "Dragonite! Dragon Tail, don't let them get close!"

Roaring, Dragonite swung its tail around just as Pikachu neared it, swinging downwards with extreme force. Bracing himself, Pikachu spun around once more, his Iron Tail shining with renewed vigor. The two attacks clashed, Pikachu at equal height with Dragonite, both Pokémon glaring at each other. This time, however, it was a contest of physical strength, one that Dragonite was winning.

Seeing his Pokémon's struggle, Ash racked his brain quickly, coming up with a strategy. "Pikachu, use Dragonite's force against him! Spring yourself upwards with Iron Tail!"

Before Lance could react, Pikachu let out a cheeky smirk as he strengthened his Iron Tail once last time, launching himself into the sky, right above Dragonite. Lance was astounded at how Ash's strategy had worked against Dragonite once more. He had planned to control the battle from the air, and yet Ash had found a way to his attacks against him.

"Now, Pikachu! Give 'em your strongest Thunderbolt!" Ash called out, pumping his fist. A cry of affirmation from his partner, Pikachu quickly charged electricity from his body once more, letting it loose downwards towards Dragonite, the pressure of the attack being launched pushing Dragonite back somewhat.

"Dragon Pulse, Dragonite!" Lance persisted, knowing that Ash had him in a tight spot. "Push the attack back!" The Dragon/Flying-type let out a cry once more, charging energy in its mouth once more. Lance underestimated the speed of Pikachu's attack, however, the blast of electricity coming down on Dragonite quicker than expected.

Struck by the attack, Dragonite could only let out a cry of pain as Pikachu's attack sent it down to the ground, its body hitting the battlefield creating an impact felt in the entire arena. As the sparks of electricity disappeared, the announcer cast his eyes onto the battlefield eyeing to see if Dragonite was unconscious yet, as did nearly everyone else in the audience.

Lance only smirked, much to everyone's surprise. "Heh, your skills and strategies impress me, Ash, and I can't lie that we've taken some serious damage. But Dragonite and I won't be going down that easily! Dragonite, Hurricane!"

"Shoot, Pikachu brace yourself!" Ash cried out, grimacing as Dragonite pulled itself up off the ground with a loud roar, making sure everyone knew that it wasn't down yet. He had hoped to bring Dragonite down with that attack, but now Pikachu was airborne, with no real way to recover. Ash could only hope Pikachu would be able to withstand Dragonite's retaliation and be able to launch a counter-attack.

Spreading its wings, Dragonite turned his head up at Pikachu and roared, letting loose a large gust of wind with simply one flap. The wind reached Pikachu quickly, the Electric mouse taking the brunt of Dragonite's initial attack. "We're not done, yet, Dragonite!" Lance called, making an upwards sweeping motion with his hand. "Stronger, let loose your power!"

Giving a smirk of its own, Dragonite flapped its wings harder, the force of its actions causing the winds of its Hurricane to spin faster and harsher, a whirlwind appearing on the battlefield. As quickly as it appeared, the whirlwind rose up around Dragonite and encircled Pikachu, cutting the Electric mouse with its razor-sharp winds.

With one last flap of Dragonite's wings, the Hurricane dissipated with a burst, sending Pikachu spinning through the air. "Follow up, Dragonite!" Lance called out, bringing his hand down. "Bring Pikachu down with Dragon Tail!" Dragonite quickly took to the skies once more, his speed creating some cracks in the battlefield. Its tail glowing with draconic power once more, it quickly positioned itself above Pikachu, hitting it downwards with Dragon Tail.

Pikachu let out a cry of pain as he hit the ground, but quickly regained his balance, getting onto all fours before Dragonite could reach the battlefield. "Pikachu, we're finishing this now!" Ash cried out, gripping his cap and turning it around.

Still watching from the side, Lillie brought a hand to her mouth, stifling a gasp as she saw that action. In the 5 years that she had known Ash, she had only seen him do that a number of times, and only when he was serious.

After hearing from Brock about how he got that cap, Lillie understood Ash's intent. He wanted to prove his strength to the traitors here, to prove that they were the ones who made a mistake in betraying him. Making a silent plea in her heart, Lillie hoped, for Ash's sake, that he and Pikachu would be able to pull off this win.

"Well then, there's no time to waste!" Lance said, his eyes narrowing. "Dragonite, take this battle to the ground! Thunder Punch and Dragon Tail, mix it up on Pikachu!"

Letting out another roar, Dragonite sped up, crashing onto the battlefield with a Thunder Punch, Pikachu barely being able to dodge it. "Keep dodging, Pikachu!" Ash called, his mind working on a plan. "I've got something in mind, but you need to trust me!" Despite being exhausted, Pikachu nodded, giving Ash a smile that said 'As if I needed a reason to do that!'.

Dragonite reacted quickly, however, getting onto its feet and swinging at Pikachu with a Dragon Tail. Pikachu leapt over it, only for Dragonite to bring its tail back around, the Electric mouse narrowly stepping out of the way once he landed. Unperturbed, Dragonite aimed both its fists at Pikachu, both of them sparking with lightning.

Pikachu let out a cry as he launched himself at Dragonite with an Iron Tail attack, swinging at the first Thunder Punch, knocking Dragonite slightly off balance. The orange dragon let loose another punch, however, nearly catching Pikachu off guard. Reacting as quick as he could, Pikachu positioned his Iron Tail in front of his chest, getting launched back a good distance while taking minimal damage.

Struggling to regain his footing, Pikachu found himself wide open, allowing Dragonite to rush at him with a Dragon Tail, swinging upwards and landing a good hit on Pikachu's face. The Electric mouse stumbled, dazed from the impact of Dragonite's attack. "Pikachu, Quick Attack over here!" Ash called out, his plan set in his mind. "Follow the sound of my voice!"

Ears twitching to make out Ash's voice, Pikachu's body became enveloped in a shining white light once more, rushing to Ash's voice. Racing to his trainer, the Electric mouse narrowly dodged another Thunder Punch from Dragonite. Once in front of Ash, Pikachu shook his head, regaining his senses, his eyes now focusing on the powerful Pokémon in front of him.

"Alright, Pikachu!" Ash called, having finished on his plan, focusing his attention on the battle in front of him. "We're ending it here!"

"As if we'd let you do so!" Lance retorted, outstretching his arm as he called to Dragonite. "Now Dragonite, charge forward with Thunder Punch! Pour all you have into it!"

With a loud cry, Dragonite raced forward, its fist becoming enveloped with lightning once more as it charged at Pikachu. Ash didn't waste a second however, simply grinning and calling out a command for his partner. "Let's give them all we've got too, Pikachu! Gimme your strongest Iron Tail and slam it onto the ground in front of you!"

Letting out a battle cry, Pikachu leapt into the air, coming down spinning with his Iron Tail, slamming the attack onto the ground that separated him and Dragonite. The power of the attack created a few cracks in the battlefield, and sending a wave of impact forward. It caused Dragonite to lose its balance somewhat, the pseudo legendary becoming stunned momentarily. Ash's grin only grew wider, that moment was all he needed to carry out his plan. "Now Pikachu, while he's still stunned! Spring yourself forward and use Volt Tackle!"

"Dragonite, don't let it hit you, block with Thunder Punch!" Lance commanded, his Pokémon attempting to regain its momentum.

The next few crucial moments seemed to happen in slow motion, both Champions knowing that this would decide the battle. His tail still embedded in the ground in front of him, Pikachu used it to push himself forward, his body becoming cloaked in a harsh yellow light. Lightning crackled across his body, building up a large amount of power as Pikachu unleashed his Volt Tackle, streaking across the battlefield as he flew straight at Dragonite. Regaining its balance somewhat, Dragonite brought both its arms up, using two Thunder Punches in an attempt to block Pikachu's attack. Bracing itself, Dragonite glared at Pikachu from behind its fists, almost challenging the little mouse to come at it.

The two attacks clashed almost instantaneously; Pikachu's Volt Tackle against Dragonite's Thunder Punch. The collision of the two created a large flash of energy that rose into the sky, radiating throughout the arena. Everyone watching shielded their eyes from the light, as the two attacks pushed relentlessly against each other, reaching a brief stalemate. Dragonite then began to push back against Pikachu, slowly managing to halt its opponent's attack. "Amazing!" The announcer cried out from his stand, giving voice to the thoughts of the audience. "Even with Pikachu's strength, Lance's Dragonite is still pushing back with its Thunder Punch! Amazing! Incredible!"

"Whoa, that Dragonite's no joke, huh?" Ash let out, certain that Pikachu would've claimed victory there. Still, he took out a black Z-Ring, the Mega Z-Ring that Professor Kukui had given to him when he had become the Alolan Champion. "Well, we've still got something up our sleeve, Pikachu! Let's show them our Z-Power!" Equipping an Electrium Z, Ash performed the dance, finishing with his arms in a lightning bolt like pose. Power began to spark from his own Z-Ring, the energy that emerged surging into Pikachu. Widening his eyes, Lance could only hypothesize that Ash was currently puling off one of Alola's Z-Moves, having never done or seen one in person.

Energized, Pikachu let out a cry, the electricity around crackling harsher as the Electric mouse pulled back his fist, both Z-Power and electricity building up in that area. Ash pulled his own fist back as well, his Mega Z-Ring sparking with more and more power. "Gigavolt..." Both taking a stance, Ash and Pikachu began to push their fists forward, the power sparking from Pikachu's coming to a peak. Just from the power surging from Pikachu's fist alone was enough to push Dragonite back somewhat, the pseudo-legendary struggling to maintain his footing.

"Havok!" "Pika!" Thrusting their fists forward, the lightning built up in Pikachu's fist suddenly shot forward, materializing into the brightest and perhaps strongest electric blast Lance had ever seen. As the sparking power pushed against him, Dragonite made one last attempt to push back, but to no avail. Overtaken by the blast, Dragonite soared across the battle field, the powerful electricity thrusting the pseudo-legendary against the arena wall. A large flash of power burst throughout the arena on the impact, rising up and illuminating the sky.

As the light died down, everyone's eyes were on the arena, looking with bated breath to see if the match was finally over. Both Lance's and Ash's eyes were on Dragonite as well, their anticipation high. The Z-Power dissipated, Dragonite attempted to push himself off of the wall, only to fall flat onto the ground, fainting.

* * *

 **Allright, I'll leave it there for now, thanks so much for reading! I put a lot of effort into this battle, and I really hope it shows, because, as of now, this is the longest chapter of the story yet! Wow, that feels good to say.**

 **As for the poll regarding the pairing for this story, a lot of people have been voting! I'll display the top 5 pairings right now:**

 **1st: Ash x Dawn x Lillie x Serena (Full Harem)**

 **2nd: Ash x Dawn, Lillie x Pual, Serena x Gladion**

 **3rd: Ash x Dawn x Lillie, Serena x Gladion**

 **4th: Ash x Dawn x Lillie, Serena x Paul**

 **5th: Ash x Lillie, Dawn x Gladion, Serena x Paul**

 **Before, I hadn't really set a due date for the poll, so lemme set one now! The poll will be ending on November 5th! So, if you still haven't voted, get your votes in before then!**


End file.
